A few weeks before he passed away earlier this month, I asked long-time Tennessee banker Armistead Smith what was something he had done or learned in the previous 5 years that I should know or do. Army was 89-years-old, in failing health, weak and bedridden. I wasn’t sure what type of response he would be able to muster.
But he surprised me with the immediacy of his answer. Without pausing to think about it, Army promptly replied, “Always buy people their teeth.”
I sat there, unsure how to respond. After a moment or two, he continued.
“When you’re a waitress down at the Cracker Barrel and you have bad teeth, it’s hard to make any tips. Folks just won’t tip you if you have bad teeth. So always buy people their teeth.”
It was vintage Army – plainspoken, practical and kind. He had, in fact, bought a lot of people their teeth – both figuratively and literally. He did it quietly, without ever judging those who didn’t share his sense of charity. Army understood that a sincere gift doesn’t just help the recipient – it also helps shape the giver.
If the job of an old man is to teach a young man how to be a good old man, Armistead Smith spent a lifetime doing that job incredibly well.
That’s one reason I personally discount the virtuousness (although not necessarily the usefulness) of disconnected, collective charity.
Several years ago, Armistead joined a few others in informally “adopting” Willie, a local shoeshine man. Although he worked hard, Willie was always just a step or two (at most) above destitute. But Army and others tried to make sure Willie always had what he needed – whether it was a place to stay, winter clothes or a ride to the VA hospital in Johnson City.
No government program. No press conference. No attempts to virtue signal by publicly criticizing people who didn’t give “enough” to charity. Just one person helping another.
Charitable giving statistics are interesting. The single best predictor of giving is income – both across income groups and within them. Households with income above $2 million give an average of 14% of their income to charity, compared to the U.S. average of 2.8%. Tennessee is the fourth most charitable state, with giving equal to 4.5% of residents’ gross annual income.
The word “charity” originates from the Latin word caritas, meaning “dearness” or “affection.” At this most basic level, that kind of charity isn’t something easily captured or implemented in the aggregate. It doesn’t show up on tax returns or social media posts. It’s about one person helping another, giving them a reason to smile without shame.
It’s about buying people their teeth.
David Moon is president of Moon Capital Management. A version of this piece originally appeared in the USA TODAY NETWORK.