People Are Genuinely Good

For all the bad news in the world and the times that even I get a bit cynical, stories like the rescue of Streetwise really renew my faith in mankind.

You'll recall that last week I wrote about the possible demise of Streetwise. The whole thing just saddened me because I believe that Streetwise is a perfect example of the old adage "you can give a man a fish and he'll eat for a day or you can teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime."

As the Tribune story states, Streetwise needed $75,000, but $190,000 was donated in a week! More than double. Given the economic times we're living in, that says something. If you think about it, this is a bigger deal than many fundraisers. None of the people who donated money to save Streetwise received anything tangible for their good deeds. No golf outings. No Cubs tickets. No gift baskets. Streetwise put out a call and enough people took action by donating anywhere between $3 and $35,000 to save the paper.

Yes, people are genuinely good. There is no doubt about it.