Hello Growtopians! Sorry I haven't been posting a lot recently, I have had the FLU! 
Anyways - I'm back, and today I bring a somewhat-controversial topic. DONATIONS.
I'm sure we have all been asked for donations, or we have had a friend who has asked to borrow stuff. But - should we ACTUALLY give that world lock or diamond lock? Let's talk about it a little bit.
Before you click drop, or do that trade - ask yourself this.
Does this person NEED the donation. {Hint: It's a trick question.}
No. They don't. If you answered yes, you are wrong.
Note: No one in the game needs a donation.
Knowing this, you should NEVER feel pressured to donate. If they are calling you a noob, or calling you a mean person - don't let it get to you. It is not your responsibility to donate to them. If you want to donate, then by all means do so! But you should never feel like you have to, or feel manipulated into doing so.
A lot of the times, you will see players being called greedy for not donating. This is wrong on many levels. If { _____ of Legend } donated to every single player he/she saw, they would run out of items completely.
Note: It's simply unreasonable to expect every player to donate and/or have the ability to donate comfortably.
Now, here is why I really wanted to make this post. I feel that...
DONATING IS DANGEROUS.
Why is this? If you donate to someone who has never played before, you are giving them the idea that if they want something, they can get it effortlessly. For those of us who have been playing the game for a while, we know that to be the exact opposite. It's almost as if you are giving them answers to an assignment they are unable to do. Donating to someone also devalues the world lock to that player. For example, if that player spent an hour splicing their way to grass, farming, and selling seeds, they would think of that world lock as an hour of hard work and effort. But, if they just get world locks thrown at them, they will simply see it as what it was to them: a gift. And once they have that precious world lock, what will they do with it? Good lord, who knows.
So... what should you do? Here is what I recommend:
Don't donate them world locks, give them valuable knowledge.
For example, I get asked to donate a lot. A lot of the times I say "Sorry!" and go about my day. But, if I am not particularly busy, I try to teach that player how to earn that world lock themselves! I teach many new players how to farm grass or the basics of trade profiting. For experienced players, I give them a job, such as finding my item sellers/buyers, or supplying me items. But, one thing is for sure: If you ask me for a donation, you are most likely not getting anything.
So... here are the main things you should take away.
1) No one needs donations.
2) You should never feel forced to donate.
3) Donating is dangerous to the new-players perception of the game.
4) Why donate items when you can donate knowledge?
I'll leave you guys with this awesome quote that I try to live by...
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
P.S.
I am trying to increase the quality of my posts, and be more active as well. If you have any questions, or need any tips, don't hesitate to respond to this thread or DM me on Instagram! I love it when people reply to this post, simply because there are most likely other people with the same questions as you. Thanks so much for your time, everyone!

Anyways - I'm back, and today I bring a somewhat-controversial topic. DONATIONS.
I'm sure we have all been asked for donations, or we have had a friend who has asked to borrow stuff. But - should we ACTUALLY give that world lock or diamond lock? Let's talk about it a little bit.
Before you click drop, or do that trade - ask yourself this.
Does this person NEED the donation. {Hint: It's a trick question.}
No. They don't. If you answered yes, you are wrong.
Note: No one in the game needs a donation.
Knowing this, you should NEVER feel pressured to donate. If they are calling you a noob, or calling you a mean person - don't let it get to you. It is not your responsibility to donate to them. If you want to donate, then by all means do so! But you should never feel like you have to, or feel manipulated into doing so.
A lot of the times, you will see players being called greedy for not donating. This is wrong on many levels. If { _____ of Legend } donated to every single player he/she saw, they would run out of items completely.
Note: It's simply unreasonable to expect every player to donate and/or have the ability to donate comfortably.
Now, here is why I really wanted to make this post. I feel that...
DONATING IS DANGEROUS.
Why is this? If you donate to someone who has never played before, you are giving them the idea that if they want something, they can get it effortlessly. For those of us who have been playing the game for a while, we know that to be the exact opposite. It's almost as if you are giving them answers to an assignment they are unable to do. Donating to someone also devalues the world lock to that player. For example, if that player spent an hour splicing their way to grass, farming, and selling seeds, they would think of that world lock as an hour of hard work and effort. But, if they just get world locks thrown at them, they will simply see it as what it was to them: a gift. And once they have that precious world lock, what will they do with it? Good lord, who knows.
So... what should you do? Here is what I recommend:
Don't donate them world locks, give them valuable knowledge.
For example, I get asked to donate a lot. A lot of the times I say "Sorry!" and go about my day. But, if I am not particularly busy, I try to teach that player how to earn that world lock themselves! I teach many new players how to farm grass or the basics of trade profiting. For experienced players, I give them a job, such as finding my item sellers/buyers, or supplying me items. But, one thing is for sure: If you ask me for a donation, you are most likely not getting anything.
So... here are the main things you should take away.
1) No one needs donations.
2) You should never feel forced to donate.
3) Donating is dangerous to the new-players perception of the game.
4) Why donate items when you can donate knowledge?
I'll leave you guys with this awesome quote that I try to live by...
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
P.S.
I am trying to increase the quality of my posts, and be more active as well. If you have any questions, or need any tips, don't hesitate to respond to this thread or DM me on Instagram! I love it when people reply to this post, simply because there are most likely other people with the same questions as you. Thanks so much for your time, everyone!
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