How (Not) to Save the World

Fajar asked us to make this video. It was more important to him than even a piano.
I hope you can feel through the screen a little of what it meant to us to be able to make this, even from such a distance.
I cannot express in words the thanks I give to the entire staff of We Love Reading (but most especially Lina and Mays), to my sister, to the government of Jordan and to every family who let us into their homes and allowed us to see their truth. We will never forget it.
If you want to support We Love Reading: welovereading.org/
If you want to support the UNHCR and Za'atari: giving.unhcr.org/en/general/
Your support keeps us going: / rareearth and ko-fi.com/rareearth
Follow our Instagram: / rareinsta
Follow my twitter: / evan_hadfield
Also - sign up for curiosity stream, a service I actually like, and they'll throw in a subscription to Nebula as well, a place where I release these videos early: curiositystream.com/rareearth
This video was made possible thanks to our incredible Patreon subscribers: &pointer, A Tuttle, Ástráður Ísak Lárusson, adam lenk, Akasha Yi, Alan Camolinga, Alex boneck, Alex Papageorgiou, Alex Ross, Alex The Magical Cat, Alexander Lee, Alexander Reilly, Alf Einar Solberg, Alice LWatson, Allmightydregs, Almighty Bidoof, Amal Isaac, Ammobunny, Andrew, Andrew Beals, Andrew Larson, Anina Shaorandra, Arsalan N, Atsushi, Audrey Brown, Austin Cousineau, bajr, BattleGoat Studios, BeanoTheElder, Ben Hewitson, Benkei Paczek, Blacksun317, BlobyTwo, Bob Dai, Bradley Brown, Brenna and Peter, Brian ONeel, Brian Perkins, Bullseye89, Catherine Berry, Chien Lu Anderman, Chris, Christoph Hotep, Christopher Perrin-Porzondek, Christopher Simpkins, Cody Belichesky, Cody Schneider, Cole Skelton, Colin Miskowitz, CollapsingHrungDisaster, Colton Creasey, Curtis Shimamoto, Cynical Rhys, Daniel Sierra Matus, Daniel Tyler, David Badilotti, David James McConnell, David V, Douglas Danger Manley, Dustin Sysko, Dykam, Edward Sykes, Einar Holmedal, Elaine Kotenko, Elsilan, Emma, Eric Floehr, Erik Hoag, Eugene Pakhomov, Evan, f1r3w4rr10r, fadingnebula, fatsaxman, feo, Gabe Sockie, Ggamefreak22, Gilberto Hart, Giulian Fava, Gregory Kintz, Hollis Davis, Igor Stavchanskiy, Immanuel Rajan, J Neko, Jake Capoun, Jakob Ruder, Jan Vilhuber, Jean, Jeremy Impson, Jeremy Wheelis, Jessica Mayberry, Joe Brown, John and Tanya Hug, John Cline, John Goff, Jonathan Lonowski, Josh Hoppes, Juan Coronado, Julia, Julian Fiander, Justin Gregg, Justin Thomson, JustRus, Kameron Stroud, Karol Pilat, Keaton Keller, Kenny Coulter, Kush Patel, Kyle Hammer, Kyle Hofer, Lady Sixa, Lane & Kate Seppala, larry82, Lars Flöer, Lars Hjort Christensen, Lars Sturm, Lee, Lexi, Liam Gilles, Lilith Berkana De' Anu, Lillian Mark, Lorentz, Louis Lenders, Lukas, luketd, Marc Anderson, Martin Green, Matt, Matthew Barrett, Matthew Springer, Matthew Wallace, Max Poley, Melanie Sumner, Michael, Michael Abernathy, Michael Amesse, Miguel Martínez Chapa, Mike Frysinger, Mondoria, Mrburgerdon, Ms Tek, Muncorn, MysticCobra, Nancy Reid, Nathaniel, Nicholas Kraabel, Nick Grippo, NiordSir, NM, Noah Hawkes, Nuno Balbona Perez, Oliver Frommeier, Oliver 'Kannik' Bollmann, Ollie b, Pablo D Lopez, Pablo Rodriguez, Patrick Holdsworth, Paul Estella, Paul Hui, Peter Bjorvand, Peter Gravelle, Petr Doležal, Pjotr Bekkering, Pranav Maddula, Ricardo Machado, Rich Saber, Robert Velten, Rocky Yip, Roger L. Basler de Roca, Roger Hoffmore, Roger Wu, Ron Warris, Ronen Finegold, Ryan Breaker, Sabolc Jut, Sam Collins, Sam Rossetti, Scotty From Marketing, Sean Dennis, Sean McCool, Sergi Rincon, Shawn Wang Williams, Shikyo_The_Dragon, Shivan, SilliusSodus, Simon Bohnen, Simon Hannus, smaz ruby, Space_Chickun, Sriram Govindarajan, Stephen Bourne, Steve Sick, Steve Williamson, Svein Ove Aas, Symmetrymaster, Tedd, Theo Davis, Thomas, Thomas Paris, Tibor Galbács, Tim Barrett, Tob, Tobias B, Traxys, Ubikwitus, Varun Perumal, Vasserot, Viktor Lundell, Vitali Perchonok, Wes Mills, Whitefang, Will Mullins, Wu Jim, Xellos, Xenonfrenzy, Zach Preston, and ZZ. We love you guys!
Thanks for watching! You're clearly one of the good ones.

[@RareEarthSeries]

Help buy pianos: www.patreon.com/rareearth ko-fi.com/rareearth

[@Maple38]

Are the donations going towards pianos or are you keeping the money?

[@enkelito1]

@@Maple38 time for a new Lambo no i'm kidding i don't think hes that kind

[@lynettecarter9887]

Don't reply to this

[@RareEarthSeries]

@@Maple38 The money that went to me bought the keyboard. That's how the series works. If you want to donate to the causes that directly affect Fajar going forward, I've provided a few links in the description.

[@theunknownunknowns5168]

Rear Earth. A thought I have had for sometime: Refugees... who live, so... refugees, have a particular set of skills. Skills that enabled them to escape regimes that are trying to end them by all manner of mechanisms. Skills that fat western people, like me, do not possess. Skills that are highly transferable to all industries in my privileged country. My thought is, I'd rather have a refugee as a neighbour than a anorher fat white immigrant. But I'm probably bais by dreaming of exotic food that a refugee neighbour might bestow upon me.

[@fobbie8385]

This reminds me of when we were planning my class graduation trip. The main contender was a three week trip to Laos, or Vietnam, or wherever. It'd be two weeks helping in a village and a week of tourism. The trip would have cost each person some $1000 - something like that. A few of us did the math. Whatever village we went to would be helped, for sure, just not by us. Part of the trip fee was for the organization to actually help people more than a handful of highschool students would. Our presence would have been a negative - we would have eaten more food than we helped make. Math said giving an NGO $300ish each would have helped more than the $1000 each for the trip. The math folks (myself included) used this as an argument to not go. "If we really wanted to help people" we said "then we would just donate the money we would have spent." This was convincing enough to stop the trip. Solid math to support a more morally positive result. Instead, nothing happened. No trip. No money donated. No help provided. I think that it's important to remember that giving the piano is better than giving nothing - that's the flipside of the math. A lot of people only help because they get to see that smile. It's not the best form of help. It doesn't do the most per dollar. But if you're going to pay $80 for a piano or do nothing, the math sides with the piano.

[@OmarLivesUnderSpace]

Why not donate then? You just did the worst over doing the best, justifying yourself with "we wished to do the better"

[@LiluBob]

Absolutely friggin right do what helps both them and you. There is no sin in that. Bring a smile to your heart and theirs. Admitting that it helps you as well as them is not wrong. You need goodness in your life as much as they need goodness in theirs. It’s called self-care and it is just as important as giving care to others.

[@Thessalin]

My class did a similar cold calculus about a grand trip and a grand prom. Part of us wanted the donation. Most of us didn't. The grand trip and grand prom happened. What feels right to some people feels wrong to others. Humans are complicated, just like Avril sang.

[@Rodrifuuu]

On the other hand, the trip would have been a huge investment in having your class understand a different culture, different lifestyle, different economic means. If everyone traveled to poor countries to stay with locals when they were young, we'd have much less inequality.

[@CyreneDuVent]

@@OmarLivesUnderSpace I'm guessing this was a highschool trip (although it might've been college). If it was a school trip, then the school usually handles the organizing, coordinating fundraisers etc. A high schooler probably doesn't have 300$ to donate without those fundraisers. Without the trip behind it, without the encouragement of "you'll get to do something cool" there probably wasn't enough effort to get that money raised, enough parents convinced to chip in. It doesn't make it good. It doesn't make it better. But sometimes if you've got no skin in the game, it's not enough to care

[@HerbertLandei]

I grew up in East Germany. One day when I was very young, my family was on a trip, and we stopped at a highway parking lot. There was an Intershop, a shop where you could only pay in West German Deutschmarks. These shops were the only place you could legally buy Western stuff: T-Shirts, jeans, alcohol, chocolate, candy, whatnot. Getting Deutschmark was very expensive, people paid crazy exchange rates, like 1:10 or higher. An elderly West German couple talked with us, and then they invited me to join them shopping. I came out of the store with a bag full of sweets and the widest grin on my face. This couple didn't change my life, but they changed the way I see the world. That there are good people in unexpected places. The piano was the right choice, let nobody tell you otherwise.

[@starshot5172]

I feel this way too. Simple acts of kindness can mean a lot to someone, and in some cases increase someone's chance of doing more good. We should all give more.

[@evershumor1302]

Feeding is important but gifts are a different kind of important. You can't compare them.

[@Hollylivengood]

Damn it. This was the sweetest comment. Most of us never know what it's like to be on the receiving end of a video like this, and what it does for your future. Thank you much.

[@kevinsuggs1]

Thank you for sharing.

[@BuenoSuertes]

And the truly amazing thing is that forty years on, you're sharing your story on KZbin comments with the whole world, in English. Things can get better even if you can't see reason for hope just yet.

[@OctopusOwl]

The piano is a small temporary thing, but that memory of joy will last a lifetime. The work your sister does helps keep people alive, sets them on a path to healing and betterment. What you did was remind them WHY life is worth living. Gives them dreams of better tomorrow. Both are necessary. The quiet good and the personal.

[@ms_cartographer]

This!

[@the808songbird]

Yes! I was trying to find a way of articulating basically this sentiment. Just because the piano doesn't put food on the table doesn't mean it won't help keep Fajar alive through hope, joy, and community. We often forget, when other basic needs are on the line, that mental health plays an overwhelming role in everyone's life. And on top of that, providing a person with what they _ask_ for, rather than what you've determined is best for them, can be far more empowering to the recipient than we tend to acknowledge.

[@moodist1er]

A lifetime? Not if the Nasi Nazis decide to raid a refuge camp and kill some kids.

[@glennac]

Sure, “give a man a fish and he eats for a day. But teach him how to fish and he eats for a lifetime” as they say. But sometimes that single fish, or that piano keyboard, can alter a life more than you can ever imagine. Would love to see a follow up on Fajar in 10 years time. Thanks Evan. You brought joy to a family that they will never forget❣️

[@OllamhDrab]

I always like to say 'tools teach.' I'd say that certainly applies to musical kit, too. I mean, there are systemic ills that are huge but sometimes might take a random higher-value item that's usually outside the year-to-year grind of surviving to give things a chance to change. The randomness can matter when the *system* keeps people stuck, that's one reason some people *do* buy an occasional lottery ticket when they can't 'afford' it, ...sometimes too many, really, but it's not about not knowing the numbers or odds, it's knowing that something random is the only way things are likely to change for them. It's not a substitute for fixing systems, but I've been known to give kids that showed some interest a decent old camera or something and a few basic lessons anyway, something like that floating around a community could make a difference, or just music. :)

[@nefariousyawn]

Give a man a fish, and make a friend to share your fish with.

[@reeel4915]

This honesty is something you don't find in any other video in the internet. It's so heartwarming

[@Remo_Wo1kenstein]

it made me cry... but I can't tell, if it was the story or the guilt I felt

[@lynettecarter9887]

Was just done right my friend 💖

[@lynettecarter9887]

And it means a lot that you as a person felt more than most 👍

[@gartensocke747]

For me it definitly wasnt heartwarming, just a sad reminder of the bad in this world and how powerless we are against it. It got me really sad.

[@RareEarthSeries]

​@@gartensocke747 You aren't powerless. You didn't cause the world's problem, but you're able to help better them. I find that very heartening. If you feel powerless, you can always go gift a piano.

[@rorysparshott4223]

I have never come across another KZbinr who is able to craft videos so well, and so reliably make me literally sob from the sheer emotion of a simple fucking narration and some B roll. You're not an artist, you're probably the only KZbinr that can honestly be called a virtuoso. Beyond sublime.

[@RareEarthSeries]

That's some seriously huge praise! I'm not sure I live up to it but I really appreciate you saying so.

[@thomasjohanns7661]

You might like SoftWhiteUnderbelly and PeterSantenello?

[@bertilhatt]

That’s very true, but somehow, I still want to scream: you got the daughter a RECORDER?! Hasn’t the mother suffered enough?

[@rorysparshott4223]

@@bertilhatt I'd like to clarify that my sobbing wasn't anything to do with the recorder tragedy

[@RareEarthSeries]

The guy at the music store gave it to me as a gift for buying the keyboard. I didn't even leave the store before thinking "man, she's going to hate me".

[@michelleh462]

I was homeless from 18-20. We remember people like you. And it did make a difference.

[@LiluBob]

Honestly, there are two routes to giving. There is what your sister does, and what she does is extraordinarily important. Because like you said what she does gets results and helps the most people, and makes the most permanent of results, but what you did also helps. It’s a two prong form of help. It helps you and it helps the little boy. But it helps in a different way hopefully. It helps him and there’s a ripple affect. Hopefully it will help his family because he is now more joyful, and his family sees that joy and experiences that joy throughout his growing years. It might change his life and be the start of something new that sets him on a new path. That then changes the trajectory of his life. Then again it may not. But it might color the choices that he makes in his future. You just never know. I believe in a philosophy, that when one walks through this world, always make it a little better than when you found it. Because we can’t all do what your sister does, but we can make the world a little better then we found it. And to me, that is the meaning of life.

[@Vandalgia]

I always believe that doing good doesn't always means helping the world. Sometimes, it's just one person that matters to us, and that's enough. Never gaslight yourself in doing something good.

[@LiluBob]

@@Vandalgia I cannot agree more. Intent is always the key. If you’re doing it for selfish reasons, then you’re not doing good, but if you’re doing it because it brings joy to yourself and others, and especially the particular person to whom you are focusing upon or people, then that is good. And like you said, sometimes being there for someone and having to let the world turn without you is also good. I know that one very well. I am disabled, and unfortunately before we knew that what was wrong with me was genetic I passed it on to my daughter and I ended up, raising disabled child as a single parent as well. I gave up a lot, and my focus was primarily on being as good a parent as I could be. My daughter is in her 40s now and we have never been closer. And she has had a husband, who is the light of her life and mine since she was 18. We all have to make choices in the world, and we all have to make sacrifices, the difficulty is knowing which choices to make, and which sacrifices are permissible, and do the least amount of harm and the great or a bit of good. They can get complicated. But I have always believed start at home and if you are able to go outside of the home and do more good from there, then do so. But I’m not talking about necessarily taking time to go out and do something. Structural, it can be as simple as smiling at an unhappy child as you pass by and really lock eyes with them. Let them know that you see them and that you get it. Sometimes that’s just the right amount. And you haven’t sacrificed anything except a few moments of your time, but you might have left an indelible impact upon someone at a very important time in their life. That’s what I’m talking about.

[@kurtdunbar912]

I am a storyteller (a historian-same thing) and I know one when I see one. Telling stories is a selfless act, they simply have to be shared. You share them as well as any storyteller I know. You think you are selfish. You think these stories are to fulfill some personal desire in you. Perhaps, but I don't buy it. You need to understand how much these stories mean to others when you share them in this fashion. You are truly giving of yourself whether you think so or not.

[@aperson1]

It's ironic he discusses preferring the fulfillment of looking the people you help in the face over some statistics and math, yet publishes these on youtube where statistics, some cash, math, and faceless words assuring you that you helped are all you get in return for it.

[@RareEarthSeries]

In my eyes what I got in return was captured in the smiles in that room long before I ever decided how to frame it for this video. What happens here is of far less importance to me.

[@OmarLivesUnderSpace]

If you want to help him, give the money to the organization. If you want to make him happy, give him a piano. The problem is this simple: what do *you* want

[@Alexandra-oj4ik]

Why does it have to be a problem? If you can, do both.

[@OmarLivesUnderSpace]

@@Alexandra-oj4ik Because there *is* a choice, and every choice is a problem

[@Alexandra-oj4ik]

@@OmarLivesUnderSpacewell, why does it have to be a choice? It only becomes a choice when your resources are limited and if you choose one option it blocks the other one out. Otherwise, buy the piano to make the kid smile and donate to help the refugees. It's not a dilemma.

[@dopaminecloud]

@@Alexandra-oj4ik You're not seeing the choice. Money goes to one person vs that same money going to organization. If you donate to both, half the money is going to one person that is not going to the organization. You're still making the choice to half your donation. It can't be in two places at once.

[@Alexandra-oj4ik]

@@dopaminecloud No, I don't really. In this case any "luxurious" choice a middle/upper class represantative makes becomes a choice of not donating: going out for lunch, having a pet, having a car, buying new clothes when the old ones are still wearable. By your logic any economic choice one makes is a choice of not using this money to help people in need instead. Buying a kid a piano is not charity, it's a luxury. It doesn't mean that it blocks you from making a donation using the remaining excess of money you have... It's like choosing whether to buy your kid a birthday present or using this money for tutoring, because it could be more useful for him in the long run. If you still have money left in your banking account by the end of the month, use this instead of playing a zero-sum game when you really don't have to.

[@LEFT4BASS]

Truth is that everyone ultimately does what’s in their own best interest. Evan did what felt good, even if he knew it wasn’t the most effective. His sister feels better knowing she did the most effective thing she could. Ultimately, every choice always boils down to your own wants, needs, and values. It’s always about yourself, whether your like Evan, his sister, or anyone else

[@TheRmbomo]

She may not have felt better doing the most effective thing. She may have really wanted to go, and held herself back. Or maybe you're right, and that she prefers the spreadsheets. But there is such a thing as ignoring one's own desires, and it surely hurts, even if you know you're doing good. Whether it hurts in not seeing those smiles, the faces you never saw, or the results that are just numbers on paper that you can't fully convince your brain are real.

[@Crosshill]

help someone now and they might help you later, or someone else might see that and decide that helping you would be worth it. it had real tangible value and thats why it feels good, its a thing we were evolved to do. its so fantastically selfish that you dont need to be an enlightened morally supreme person to wanna help others and find value in seeing someones smile. i agree, if youre trying to be effective then im sure you'd make up for that loss of value by feeling really good about yourself for being the most supremely effectively altruistic, and for some people this feels just as good

[@LEFT4BASS]

@@TheRmbomo But she still did it based on her own desires and values. People always do what’s in their best interest. There are people I would give my life for, I might not want to die, but I value those people more than I value my own life. I would rather die than not protect them. It’s 100% based on my own desires. Even if she wanted to go, she wanted the assurance she did the best possible thing more. Everyone always does what matters most to themselves

[@dungeonbrownies]

As someone occasionally close to this type of work, this video speaks to me. It's a massive thing to understand the difference between sustainable impacts and personal ones as well as how selfish it can be to be selfless at times. The deep understanding this video touches on makes me glad that you're producing content and engaging an audience who appreciates the same.

[@katethegoat7507]

"good isn't a feeling, it's a statistic" is such an important quote

[@Seriouskai]

That piano gave him a chance to entertain others, to spread that joy you gave him. He seems like the kind of person that would do that.

[@GuntherRommel]

I don't even know how you manage to make me cry every goddamn time you want to, but you do it. Thanks, Evan, Kata, and Kristin.

[@NUgala]

This will never stop being my favorite channel. I love the complexity that you share with the world. It is personal to me in a way I cannot express. Thank you, Evan

[@Stilllife1999]

'She knows that the smiles I created were less effective than the ones on her spreadsheet. That good isn't a feeling. It's a statistic. A savior dies for everyone. Not just the kids they met.' As a statistician this line went straight to my core

[@CyrynDragoon]

This came at the right time for me. I know that sounds cheesy, but seriously, thank you for this. I try to donate as much as I can to causes that will truly changes multiple lives, but sometimes... giving the homeless person I walked by a 20$ so they can get a meal that day feels really fucking good deep in my soul. I know that tomorrow that person will still not have a job or house, but at least they got a good meal today. The world needs both types of people - you, and your sister. We need people who look at the math and try to do the most possible good with the limited resources available to them so they can help the most people. We need more people like your sister. But we also need people who see the humanity in each and every individual they meet. People who make the world a little brighter for someone else. The gift you gave Fajar and his family leaves a personal impact in a way your sister's work doesn't. We need more people like you. Best case scenario, your sister's work creates a better life for the people in those camps. In 20 years, Fajar has his own family, not in a refugee camp, and is a happy, functioning adult who happens to play the piano. He could not have become either of those things without BOTH types of people.

[@isaacwhitaker]

The world is such a nuanced place that one cannot just internalize the cascading effects of every single action, but paying the world forward, and giving smiles to anyone will make it a better place.

[@hajime5486]

That piano will forever mean more to him than a few dollars here or there. It will be a symbol of someone actually listening to him and he was heard. People can do amazing things. I only wish the only thing I want in life would be here now. A true friend. Being alone every single day when you just want someone to talk to, enjoy the same things or just have a comforting smile in the same room. I just want everything to be over

[@nomadtc]

Dude!! I've watched every video, some multiple times. This, was something else. Your use of language is always great, but here it was AWESOME. I didn't know FUCK all about this place. Now I do. Whether or not you did it for a story is whatever... You're teaching people something. And that's what I think this channel has always been about. Showing people the parts and histories unknown. Thanks ❤

[@Nyerguds]

In the end, personal stories are the only things that really touch people. You can talk about millions of refugees, thousands of dead people from earthquakes, you can even show images... but unless you really get to know the affected people, it's just too vague, too far away, and you just can't truly care about stuff. It's easy enough to get depressed _without_ trying to feel all the misery in the world. Here's to little gifts that put a smile on some kid's face.

[@socraticlemming]

This is the level of honesty we need to make sense of the mess we're in. Thank you friend. We can't do anything without both sides, those running the show and those performing in it. You're an honest character with good intentions and if we could all follow those intuitions, consciously. Every body would have a piano and most importantly, a big smile, ear to fucking ear. I have hope and you're my proof as to why!

[@meltedyakkystick3891]

I think Fajar needed the personal kindness of a stranger just as much as you needed to see his smiling face. You gave him hope, and that's just as important as the index funds.

[@hilestoby2628]

A child's smile is more precious than any gold on Earth. When we go too much into the statistics, people can forget the individuals. Small acts of kindness can bringing massive joy into their lives of others knowing they are not forgotten and encourage them to work their dreams into success.

[@joshuajones9035]

this channel is what the world needs, this is the type of documentary i wish everyone watched all the time, these videos do my heart and soul good and i am so thankful they are here

[@DRakeTRofKBam]

Some provide the needs for a life and others provide a thing to hold onto that life. You did your part and your sister does the other. Youre both great people in your own rights.

[@paulozhan]

I think the single best piece of advice I have ever given someone, was when my sister was volunteering in northern Mozambique after the insurgence of Al-Shabaab displaced thousands of children. She didn't want to buy them pianos, but she naturally wanted to save one particular kid by helping him obtain a refugee status in our native Portugal. She even considered adopting him, but didn't have the means to do so, so she called me crying from the other hemisphere saying I should adopt him. Now, my reaction wasn't as thoughtful as I might have made it sound with my first paragraph, I really just didn't want any of the responsability, but I honestly told her "you won't be helping the situation by adopting a single kid. More will be taking his place, and the suffering won't end. If you truly want to help, come home, start and NGO, I can help you with a couple of fundraisers. Then go back and find a way of setting up a school for dislocated children". She did not go back, but she set up a NGO here in Portugal with the aim of widening the channel between Portugal and Mozambique by sponsoring highschool exchanges that brings some kids over. Next fall, hopefully, the first graduate from her program will go on to study in a university in Portugal (which luckily is free). I am proud of her.

[@amydebuitleir]

As I watched this, I was smiling from ear to ear, with tears streaming down my cheeks. What a powerful and complex emotional journey.

[@zeanjackson]

Thank you for buying that piano we can't all live by the same script. On the other hand we all owe a debt of gratitude to your sister and everyone like her who dedicate their lives to helping the less fortunate.

[@Abhi-wn7sw]

This was absolutely amazing. Also learnt it's much better to donate via channels your sister works with. Thank you so very much

[@Psychopathicows]

I’ve liked your videos. I can’t get behind the bit of cynicism you have despite its general truth but I still really enjoy your videos. I never comment on them but I do have a comment for this one. I work as a missionary and a teacher, so I understand your sisters point of view as well as yours when it comes to helping people. What your sister does is fantastic, being a faceless force to help people she’ll never meet; making a large difference. But what you did was personally help one family, building a relationship that will last a lifetime even if you never meet again. You created joy that will spread from that kid and his siblings to their friends and their neighbors and their school and the whole camp. Sure you didn’t raise a million dollars for some huge group but you touched the hearts of each of those kids and their families. A savior doesn’t just die for those they don’t know. So thank you.

[@DesertRascal]

Showing others the bliss of giving and connecting is THE GIFT. Thanks man!

[@JustinKoenigSilica]

one smile, one thousand smiles, it doesn't matter. making the world better by giving any amount of smiles, is just exactly what humanity is about.

[@_modnar_]

Thank you Evan Thank you Kristin Thank you Francesco Thank you Lina Thank you Mays Thank you Fajar Thank you We Love Reading Thank you

[@loganlyke2513]

Probably one of your best videos from my perspective! Everyone wants to feel the warm and Tingley from helping but at the same time you're neglecting the kid who couldn't be in the shot because they're working a 12 hour day with their parents running a shop or taking care of their siblings. Powerful message especially as an American because there are programs set up to sponsor individual children but tbh I always picked the kid who prioritized schoolwork and wanted to become a scientist, engineer or other academic field, when a lot of the time a community needs farmers, plumbers and infrastructure. When you choose the "winners" from a western point of view I was always secretly routing that they would leave their community for a city and make the most of themselves while now realizing how much more impactful it is to support those who stay. If I could spend a few hundred dollars on helping someone go to school or spend the same money on digging a well or irrigation system it's a foreign concept to me.

[@roundishwhale]

You and your sister as polar opposites are both exactly what is needed. Your deeply personal way of helping an individual, just like her large picture helping focused on being efficient. Cause in the end, one without the other ends up lacking. If we only help from a distance, we loose the human connection that is so crucial, and we reduce life to a number to be optimized. If we only help from up close, we loose sight of the underlying problems as such remaining inactive against the systems that need fixing. The compassion both of you bring into this, benefits greatly from the other. Don't you dare keep telling yourself that only one of you two is doing actual good.

[@Geeksmithing]

It can be argued that buying him a piano did save him. Music is magic and has done far less in the world!

[@gordybishop2375]

Exactly

[@Hollylivengood]

Your bit in your spot that day. I agree, the big organizations accomplish things, but sometimes it's your little bit in your space that plugs the change in. I used to live in the projects, and there are always these neighborhood mothers and fathers where all the kids go for cookies and frozens. That's popsicles. They provide a safe place after school until mom gets home from work, and elders to help with homework. And band aids. Sometimes fried stuff. So, one of these ladies had said she was just old, and didn't know how to do anything spectacular, but she did her little bit she did know in her spot that day. Maybe the next person takes care of their bit in the next place. Really love this.

[@ajrobbins368]

I am truly grateful this video exists. It beautifully demonstrates the emotional chasm between raw generosity and organized, large-scale humanitarian work.

[@seanheaney8303]

One of the most powerful things a person can do for someone is a random act or offering of time, affection or attention.... some of the most life changing moments have occured in this manor... when a stranger appears in your life, makes a kind comment, praises your effort, gives you a gift or helps you with a problem those little gestures change the world..when that person got up that day it wasnt their plan to help you or to buy you a gift they just stumbled upon you and did what they saw as right. Maybe it is selfish maybe they arent doing it for the right reason but regardless that small act has the ability to change someones world, it gives hope. That one little unnesscary unplanned action gave someone hope and that hope has the power to change someone's world, in a world with so much evil it is good to see that some people still are willing to bring someone that piece of hope!

[@dennism9332]

The line about meeting Fajar, and thus making this video spoke to me a lot, thank you for this story.

[@ToriKo_]

I don’t have the words to articulate what this made me feel

[@izzo2271]

I don't even know how to describe that this is the best channel on KZbin, one day when I have kids I hope they can watch your channel and learn about humanity, not history or politics or anything else but being human, the human existence, coexistence and being.

[@rcadeu]

You guys are magnificent! I've discovered "Rare Earth" through a search about a story I heard about self mummification. There was your episode. Then I started watching the entire series about Japan, then the others. Despite my "conductor's" picture I am a Brazilian guy that studied abroad and came back to share knowledge. If you guys ever come to film in Brazil I would love to hang out and have a good conversation about nothing or everything. The work you guys produce, for me, a unimportant individual that tries to think and not dispair, considering that the world is what it is and it's for me impossible to start to grasp, so your content is the best one available in KZbin. Thank you for taking the time and put the effort to make each episode happen. Cheers from Brazil!

[@420Khatz]

"and I hope when you give it to him, his smile is ear to f*ck*ng ear." the emotion in your voice as you said that gave me goosebumps- very powerful video.

[@johnhamilton6003]

I really hope that one day you make it to Australia. So many stories with our indigenous and remote communities that are worth sharing to the world

[@johndavenport2847]

The world needs people like you and your sister, its good to have both.

[@YoutubeConnoisseur]

Wow. Just wow, Evan. This was so moving it made me cry too. You’re a very special human being. The way you piece together a story like that makes me want to be a better person every time. I love this channel.

[@PostromoPictures]

What a video! I've always found while travelling (especially to "third world" countries which have been plundered by the bigger nations for centuries) that the people are abundantly warm, welcoming, and creative. I was in some pretty remote regions in Morocco, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam last summer to shoot a movie and by and large the conversations about creativity, expression and purpose were far more engaging and profound than the one's I've had across the cultural centres of Europe. I hope I don't sound like I'm romanticizing poverty but I do think there's a truth to the idea that if you lose everything all you have are your passions, and I think that's why great works of art come out of suffering. In rural north Vietnam I met a painter who didn't speak any english but over a night of rice wine and too many cigarettes we connected by just showing each other art we had made. One of those rare life events that has a significant lasting impact on me. I hope Fajar has a fulfilling future. And thanks so much for making these. I had to cancel my patreon sub recently cause money is quite tight right now but I'm looking forward to starting it up again when I've got the means.

[@jimranallo686]

Like your videos lots....your sister is very brave and you gave your little friend a wonderful gift he will cherish....music is the glue that keeps our world spinning...and smiles can never be wiped off our faces... cheers from Mexico!

[@Rndmrth3]

I have been following you for years. It’s good to keep seeing your work. Thanks 🙏

[@benbrokke1165]

I just discovered your channel through an old Tom Scott video today and I'm so glad I did. Apart from the fantastic and moving storytelling, I love how you were able to contrast those different types of giving, a way I've never looked at it before and something that will keep my philosophical gears turning for a good while I think. Many people on here have written great comments on why both doing the math and buying pianos are equally valid so I won't pile on. I would, however, like to tell you two things: - I hate admitting it, but for entirely selfish reasons I tend to be very bad at donating money and do so way less than I probably could/should. - Your video made me donate UNICEF tonight, a greater sum than I ever have before and I am willing to bet that I'm not the only one who was affected by your work this way. My point? Even if you may not think you do - you are helping out the math-people through your amazing storytelling. Keep buying pianos, the world needs both :)

[@kurlyq2gbike]

The way you speak of your sister is heart warming and lovely, thanks for the videos

[@nicklane9032]

Thanks, sincerely, for another video. Your commentary and continual ability to find the great stories hidden within everyday life really make me think about what is important and what we lose in viewing the world in the reductive and uninspired way that is all too common now. There's so much value in sharing a story that needs to be told with the world.

[@MatsJonsson]

Ok, so this made me cry at my kitchen table while eating my lunch. Thank you for making this available to me. Clearly the most honest video I've seen in forever. Keep on doing what you are doing Evan!

[@theoriginaledi]

I deeply respect your honesty. Most of us know the math to be true, but most of us are more like you than like your sister. The difference is that most of us don't admit it. Thank you for another wonderful story, and lots more to think about.

[@DrJamez]

This was a powerful episode. Thanks for sharing and keep doing what you're doing. These stories are missing and you always find a way to tell them. Take care

[@shindoman66]

This might be my favorite one so far as someone whos watched almost all your content. Hit the nail on the head.

[@RareEarthSeries]

Thanks! I love it too.

[@zalphinian]

I like to balance out my giving. I have no problems giving to organizations that I know will help, and I do try to find those where my money will actually make a difference for those I'm trying to help. Yet I also believe sometimes it matters to just give a child that good memory. Be the random kind act that does nothing for me but brings a smile to someone's face. There is so much negativity in this world, I just want to put a little good out there too, as best as I am able.

[@99chrisgeorge]

Oh My God. This is so beautiful. Each video is more profound than the last. thank you so much for this

[@LeiCal69]

Love the perspective and honesty of this channel, and the law of causality dictate the little action of buying that kid a keyboard will inspire someone here to donate say $5 or $10, but causality also dictate that there's a chance this video will inspire someone bigger, someone with real impact, someone like your sister, or you.

[@pransaha]

There are good people and there are bad people so if you do something good you don't have to think about how good just that it's good.

[@Imdad6629]

This is beautifully and brutally honest. I thank you for sharing this story. I think what you've captured in this story is a dilemma we have all experienced. Humans can't be perfect. When our desires and emotions are too strong listening to what we know is reasonable becomes difficult. We are just trying our best by doing what feels best.

[@frontporchprojects4181]

I’m not a very warm person, but this made me a mix of happy, sad, and impressed. You make more of a difference than you give yourself credit for.

[@estebanpar06]

Man, what a video! I love your brutal honesty and your self awareness on every step of the story. It's hard to come across someone as mindful as you. Please continue making your videos. Thanks!

[@damion9742]

Your videos are amazing and every single one of them hits and hits hard.

[@hafizan89]

Dude, I started my day on your video. It's gonna be hard to not be sad now for the whole day after seeing this. Sad in a good way. Thanks.

[@pearlkonopa6088]

You humanize these crises. I've read & watched many news stories and histories of Syria. But you, Sir, give it a face. Something we, the audience, can connect to.

[@justintnyc]

This was very beautiful - I had tears in my eyes also. Happy to be a patreon supporter.

[@harrisonhoulihan1006]

This is the best channel on KZbin by such a wide margin it is unbelievable

[@ThePhyscotic]

appreciate the humility, vulnerability & reflection; qualities often not appreciated insomuch as certainty or apathy towards a topic, will always b' here to hear your good rambles and tales. be good brother

[@edeninckle-sharpe2325]

great video! How you choose to help doesn't make you less of a good person for helping. let's all spread kindness and love in the ways we can, and the ways that feel right to us.

[@jharris1896]

This series is amazing. You guys do such an amazing job.

[@Cookiefireworks]

Thank you for sharing this moment in your life.

[@dieselduce]

I look at most all your stuff from a perspective that you likely would not share. But that doesn't matter. Just nice too see your spirit tested. What makes a man cry and what makes a man smile is a true measure of a man. Keep up the good work.

[@gaelminville]

@RareEarth. That was a brilliant exposé. Thanks. Love your work.

[@jeshurunfarm]

Thank you dude. So happy I am subscribed to your channel. Respect from Africa 🇿🇦

[@santeri-leinonen]

While organizing and allocating resources is obviously important to better lives, I would argue it is just as important to make those human connections and be present with people, to meet them in their need and possibly if you have the means to offer a branch to them to pull themselves up a little. We are so fundamentally social creatures that those gestures can be very healing to us and not being stuck in always optimizing and crunching is a good thing. Problems aren't always there to be solved immediately or in the most "efficient" way, sometimes when they are not that threatening they can be there for us to learn from and ascend with each other and then solve from a boarder view. If we are always stuck in plowing forwards we risk not seeing the whole picture and miss the bigger picture of things. When we sometimes slow down, meet the people and share in a loving connection, allow us to be in that space together and see the totality of the issue we can grow together. The thing that then saves all of us is that love in that connection and the growth it brought forwards.

[@ChrisS1mp]

Great video as ever. The world definitely needs both types of people. While the good can do more by removing themselves from the emotional element, those with ill intentions can also cause more harm by not seeing the faces of those they're inflicting it upon. And who doesn't love seeing the smile on a kids face that you know you're responsible for?

[@stephenmorrissey1254]

First time I have teared up from one of your essays. Thank you for this

[@floridaman697]

You are definitely, by far, the best channel on KZbin hands down. I've watched every video you have and we nne more quality videos. Thank you

[@emiliogonzales658]

I spent 5 years working with Catholic Charities, helping refugees arriving in California to find jobs, get proper paperwork, everything you need to start a new life. Those were the best 5 years of my life.

[@HoHum321]

Woo! I'm crying my eyes out right now. Jeez, Evan, I'm so proud of you as a fellow human being. Good job bro.

[@awogbob]

Pretty raw and reflective little bit. I'm not sure I would have thought this much about it but cool to see and hear this all

[@adamelliott2302]

It's hard to quantify kindness. Thank you.

[@alc5440]

I don't think I've ever seen such genuine introspection and brutal honesty.

[@isla25]

This is an incredible video, thank you so much.

[@awaisahmadsiddiqi6505]

thank you evan for highlighting this rare side of earth.

[@lexer_]

Even if the amount of your turmoil you managed to convey is just a sliver of what you yourself experienced you certainly communicated a much larger portion than anyone else I know of. Large enough to make me cry. Is that a good thing? I don't know, but it's certainly rare earth.

[@stevec7923]

Evan, you sell yourself short. You can't know the impact of that keyboard on this child's life. He has special gifts, you saw it, and his friends see it. Spreadsheets are far from the only way to do good in the world, though they have their place. Maybe he'll become a great musician. Maybe he'll lead an organization that brings North Americans and refugees together. Spreading kindness and generosity is like sowing seeds in a field. Some seeds will fail. Others may grow into something magnificent.

[@ottodidakt3069]

Your emotional honesty and absence of fake narrative all the way down the nitty gritty makes you an awesome human being brother ! Every time I watch your videos, even when I don't agree on some things, it gives me hope in a common benevolent futur !

[@braaaaaains]

One of the most humanizing videos I think you've done. Thank you.

[@5t4n5]

I think your gift of music to those children was the most wonderful thing one person could do in that moment in that situation. Seeing them with that keyboard and recorder had tears in my eyes. I first learned to read music with a recorder and that lead to a lot of wonderful times in my life - so it had a lot of meaning to me to see that little girl with one. And who knows, in a few years those children will be making their own music and songs and making lots more people smile from ear to ear. And never forget that music has changed so many things in this world, music has started whole movements of change. From small acorns do large oaks grow for centuries to come. So i would like to shout "THANK YOU!" for giving them the gift of learning to make music when no one else did simply because the maths didn't add up. Life is more than the maths and i hate living in a world where people are just reduced to numbers for statics. Fuck statistics.

[@JasonRainbows]

Thank you Evan & crew.

[@vaishalisati9603]

I am more like you. I am always frustrated thinking about their future. Whatever I give them be it time or money, feels like a keyboard. This video gives me direction, thank you.

[@rogerexposito8815]

Beautiful. Thank you so much

[@davidkaftan5563]

Don't get too cynical man, life is hard enough (even when you don't live in a camp). Love you and the work you do.

[@DavidS5118]

Incredible human story and thanks for doing what your heart told you to do for this kids.