You can make it count

Let’s see the world as a delicious, colourful cake. We can share it with each other and we can create it in a way that counts!

1 cup of sugar, 1/2 cup butter, 2 eggs, 2 tea-spoons vanilla extract… and as I’m checking to see if I have all the ingredients needed for a simple, yet delicious cake, it hits me.

We measure so many aspects of our lives. Baking ingredients, the time we spend at home, the time we spend at work, our facebook friends – you name it! We count them all and translate them again in numbers.

10 more minutes and the cake will be ready, another 5 hours till bed-time and 9 hours after that for the next working day to start. Our own existence is based on mathematics but can anyone really be sure that everything is countable?

Albert Einstein once said that: “Not everything that can be counted, counts; Not everything that counts can be counted”. For instance, how can one count emotions? Good will? There’s of course a rough amount of measurement, “a lot of emotions”, or “great will”, but typically, we do not accompany them with numbers. When it comes to involving emotions like hope, love and caring for others, words, or better even, actions should speak for themselves.

If however, we were to need measurements to see the greater picture in a subject say, generosity, we could turn to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) who ran a leading study on a global basis. In this case the numbers can show us the charitable behavior around the world.

CAF World Giving Index 2016 shows results from 140 countries which were surveyed, representing around 96% of the world’s population (1).

It seems that in Europe, UK is the most generous country. The number of people donating money rises to 69%, while the volunteering force of the country for 2016 was 33%! Making UK stand out also with a number that has unique importance: 61% of people are helping a stranger in need(!). The dutch follow UK in terms of philanthropy behavior, while Myanmar tops the CAF World Giving Index for the third year running, followed by USA and Australia (1).

Albert Einstein knew what he was talking about! It’s true that not everything that counts can be counted. The above study shows that there is in face a great number of people that make it count. People that give, help and work to improve world’s tasty recipe. Caring for others is not countable, it’s priceless.

The recipe is simple. Several cups of thinking, several spoons of caring, endless good human will and just YouBeHero to offer to others.

PS. For those who actually care for the recipe of the cake mentioned on top,  just mix the ingredients below:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup of milk

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven and share with your friends! Enjoy!

Resources:
1: https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/publications/2016-publications/caf-world-giving-index-2016
2. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/17481/simple-white-cake/

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