You may have heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There's

The words of Bill Gates on Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday carry both humor and wisdom, for they point to the rhythm of our modern age and the choice that lies within it. He speaks of a world where desire and consumption gather like storm clouds after the feast of Thanksgiving, only to be tempered by a day of remembrance, a day of giving, where the heart turns outward instead of inward. This quote reveals a call to balance: that alongside the frenzy of acquiring, there must be the grace of sharing.

The origin of Giving Tuesday is recent, born in 2012 through the efforts of the 92nd Street Y in New York and the United Nations Foundation. It arose as an intentional counterpoint to the swelling tides of materialism. After days when merchants rejoice in profit and consumers in purchase, there came a day to remind all that wealth achieves its nobility only when it flows beyond the self, into the hands of the poor, the hungry, the suffering. Gates, who has dedicated much of his fortune to global health and education, became one of its heralds, calling forth the spirit of generosity to stand as equal companion to commerce.

In ancient times, even the wealthiest kings were judged not by the splendor of their palaces, but by the alms they gave to widows, orphans, and travelers. Recall the tale of Ashoka the Great, who after conquest laid down his sword and devoted his empire to dana, the sacred act of giving. His name is remembered not for his armies, but for his pillars of justice, his hospitals, and his care for all beings. So too, in our era, Gates and others remind us that true power lies not in accumulation, but in the channeling of abundance toward mercy.

Consider also the story of Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate of the 19th century. Having amassed wealth beyond measure, he declared that “the man who dies rich dies disgraced.” He built libraries across the world, opening doors of knowledge for generations yet unborn. This spirit is echoed in Giving Tuesday, for it calls even those with little to offer a mite of kindness, reminding us of the widow’s coin in scripture—small in amount, but great in the eyes of heaven, for it was given with love.

The lesson of Giving Tuesday is not limited to the wealthy. It whispers to the young worker with little spare change, to the student with but an hour of time, to the mother who can share a meal with her neighbor. Each gift, whether of money, time, or skill, becomes part of a mighty river that nourishes humanity. The teaching is plain: generosity is not a feast of the rich but a song in which every voice, however small, may join.

From this, dear listener, you must draw strength. Do not be swept wholly by the glitter of Black Friday or the lure of Cyber Monday, for these are but passing shadows. Let your heart instead be anchored in the eternal—compassion, charity, love for your fellow beings. Remember always that wealth left unused turns to dust, but wealth given freely transforms into legacy.

Practical action is within reach. On that Tuesday, or any day, pause before the endless scroll of goods and ask: Who else might be fed, healed, or lifted by what I can spare? Support a local shelter, give to global relief, volunteer your hands, or simply call upon your circle to join in generosity. In so doing, you weave yourself into a chain of giving that stretches across the world and into the future.

Thus the teaching stands: Black Friday and Cyber Monday may feed the body’s hunger, but Giving Tuesday feeds the soul’s eternal thirst. To give is to live beyond oneself, to inscribe one’s name in the annals of compassion, and to leave behind not cluttered possessions, but the fragrance of kindness that lingers long after we are gone.