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Abraham could have asked for anything.
The Make-A-Wish folks stood ready to make a dream come true for the 13-year-old boy, who has aplastic anemia, a life-threatening blood disorder. But Adeola “Abraham” Olagbegi didn’t ask for a PS5 or a day with LeBron James. No, he just wanted to feed indigent people in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. Thus was born Abraham’s Table, which will serve meals once a month for the next year.
The story, recently told by WBLT, a local TV station, is emblematic of the kind of news that media love to report during the holidays, stories of warm and fuzzy, of generosity above and beyond, stories that make us feel good.
Maybe too good.
Not to question Abraham’s — or anyone else’s — sincerity. No, the point is only that sometimes, what warms the heart sedates the conscience. It ameliorates an immediate need — a hungry person is fed — but doesn’t interrogate, much less solve, the...