You Don’t Have to be Brave to Save Lives

“When he saw the man fall onto the subway tracks, Wesley Autry didn’t hesitate. With the lights of the oncoming train visible, Autry, a construction worker, jumped down to the tracks and pushed the man down into a drainage trench between the rails, covering him with his own body. The train passed over them, leaving a trail of grease on Autry’s cap. Autry, later invited to the State of the Union Address and praised by the president for his bravery, downplayed his actions: “I don’t feel like I did something spectacular. I just saw someone who needed help. I did what I felt was right.”

What if I told you that you, too, can save a life, even many lives? Do you have a bottle of water or a can of soda on the table beside you as you read this book? If you are paying for something to drink when safe drinking water comes out of the tap, you have money to spend on things you don’t really need. Around the world, over 700 million people struggle to live each day on less than you paid for that drink. Because they can’t afford even the most basic health care for their families, their children may die from simple, easily treatable diseases like diarrhea. You can help them, and you don’t have to risk getting hit by an oncoming train to do it.”

-excerpt from “The Life You Can Save” by Peter Singer

Check out this 2-minute video from Charlie Bresler (Co-Founder of The Life You Can Save (TLYCS) organization) where he shares his personal story of how he became involved in the fight against extreme poverty. Charlie reminds us that whether you are brave or not, you can easily join in on the effort to help reduce suffering, save lives and empower livelihoods of people living in extreme poverty.

Inner Dimension is partnering with TLYCS for the rest of the year to support this effort. TLYCS’s recommended charities such as the Seva Foundation, Evidence Action, Against Malaria Foundation, etc. address a wide variety of cause areas, but all help deliver services to people living in extreme poverty that are high-impact and life-changing, often at a very low cost. Since its founding in 2013, TLYCS has compiled a list of research-backed charities working on interventions against the multidimensional factors of poverty, resulting in over $100 million donated to high-impact charities.

Learn more