Giving It Away

You can give away almost anything — your time, money, food, your ideas. Giving helps define who we are and helps us connect with others. And thanks to the Internet and a rise in social consciousness, there's been a seismic shift not only in what we're giving, but how. In this hour, stories from TED speakers who are "giving it away" in new and surprising ways, and the things that happen in return.

Volunteer firefighter Mark Bezos recounts act of heroism that didn't go quite as expected that taught him not to wait to be a hero, but to give now. Ron Finley, who plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA, offers some alternative to fast food in a community where "the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys. Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. And former street performer Amanda Palmer on getting people to pay for music.

Learn more or listen again to this week's episode, which originally aired on May 19, 2013.