I have just come across Julia Wise's blog "Giving Gladly". She is spending a lot of time thinking how best to live as an effective altruist. I particularly like her latest post, "Cheerfully", in which she describes how she originally thought she would not have a child, because it takes so much time and resources with which you could do a lot of good in the world. But she had always wanted to be a parent, and she found that it was making her bitter, and she saw the rest of her life “as more of an obligation than a joy.” So instead she took a more moderate course, and she and her partner Jeff are now planning to have a child. That hasn't stopped them giving almost half of their income to effective charities, and being a wonderful example of a lifestyle that is not only possible, but enjoyable and rewarding.
Julia puts it this way:
Effective altruism is not about driving yourself to a breakdown. We don't need people making sacrifices that leave them drained and miserable. We need people who can walk cheerfully over the world, or at least do their damnedest.
Julia and Jeff live in Boston where they hold regular "Philanthropy Dinners" open to the public.
