Deep in the Heart

I saw a picture posted recently of Houston Texans' receiver Andre Johnson. He was in a Toys 'R Us holding a receipt–that was about ten feet long–for nearly $18,000 worth of toys, which he promptly donated for distribution among needy Houston-area children. It's something he's done since becoming a NFL player and something other high-profile people do this time each year.

And being Andre Johnson is not a requirement. There is a city council member who has organized a toy drive for many years for our town's needy children. All of this goes on without mention of the efforts of Toys for Tots, those bell ringers with the Salvation Army, food drives by postal carriers and many similar efforts during the holidays.

Certainly many of these people or groups are motivated by having been the less fortunate person at some point in their life or simply understand, as a person with much to be grateful for, that it really is better to give than receive. Indeed, I haven't always been in a position to help others, but I try to when I can. Still, my aid power is nothing compared to Johnson's capacity. And so it is with so many regular people like me. But Johnson is part of a more powerful club.

Through his given ability, hard work and good fortune, he's in a position to buy $18,000 in toys for kids and that level of spending is hardly something to bat an eye at for someone in his economic standing. But Andre Johnson is just one player. He's not alone in his benevolence, but consider if ten guys from each team did the same. That's 300 guys from the NFL. And the other major leagues–MLB, NBA and NHL. Now we're up to 1,200 dudes. That's $360,000 in toys–just from pro athletes.

Then there's musicians, actors and dudes from India that recently bought the Sacramento Kings, for example. That stack of toys could easily reach a million bucks or more. That's a lot of Christmas (or December, gift-based holiday of your choosing) smiles.

And then there's the rest of us. Houston, where Johnson plays football, is one of the most affluent regions in the country. People of the non-NFL player variety in Houston could easily match Johnson's generosity. And in New York. And Boston. And Los Angeles. And Chicago. And...OK, OK, you get the point. Look, if 1 out of every 3 people in the US donated a dollar to some cause, that's about $100 million. Our buying power, even as non-athletes, actors or dot-com tycoons, is pretty massive.

But why should I have to help? That's what I can already hear some people asking me. You don't. I don't care if you do or not. In fact, not helping others in need makes me happy. It helps me see people as they really are. Taking action like he did says something about Andre Johnson. Not following his lead says something even bigger about you. And that's a valuable piece of information to have from my point of view.

"As it was in the beginning, so it shall be in the end..." Uh oh...the ghostly words of Marley. You should probably be concerned.