Letters - 21 January 2022
From Population growth to Quaker honesty
Population growth
Stevie Krayer (17 December 2021) speaks our mind about the need for a change of attitude in addressing the issue of population growth. There is clearly too much focus in medical practice on ‘extending life at all costs’.
Retired geriatrician David Jarrett provides an authoritative and very readable analysis of this and related issues in his recent book 33 Meditations on Death.
We found his chapter on ‘Advance Directives’ particularly helpful and recommend this challenging book to Friends.
Ann Lewis and Pete Thompson
State of donation
I share some of Metford Robson’s frustration about the number of unsolicited appeals sent over the course of a year (24 & 31 December 2021). Presumably each charity has to pay for their appeal to be included in each magazine they use, and I wonder whether that cost is justified in terms of the number of donations they receive.
When making a donation online one usually has to give one’s address and, as a result often will be sent further regular appeals through the post on the assumption one has decided to support them on a long-term basis. As I already make donations once a month to several charities I’m reluctant to take on an addition which is not my choice. Writing a letter to the charity in question telling them I don’t want to support them indefinitely so far has never brought their regular appeals to an end.
There is a solution to this. If when making a one-off donation I find out the address of the organisation and send a cheque. It has my name but nothing more.
Janet Toye
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