Let's say you were born into a legacy that is, you have come to beLacy can you do? You could be paralyzed with guilt. You could run away from your legacy, turn inward, cultivate your garden. If you have a lot of money, you could give it away a bit at a time-enough to assuage your conscience, and your annual tax burden, but not enough to hamper your life style-and only to causes (libraries, museums, one or both political parties) that would not make anyone close to you too uncomfortable. Or you could just give it all away-to a blind trust, to the first person you pass on the sidewalk-which would be admirable: a grand gesture of renunciation in exchange for moral purity. But, if you believe that the world is being ruined by structural causes, you will have done little to challenge those structures.
This story is from the August 14, 2023 edition of The New Yorker.
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This story is from the August 14, 2023 edition of The New Yorker.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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