Altruism and National Debt

 I am working on a financial engineering project about Altruism and National Debt. I use the case study of Ukraine and economic opportunities created by the United States and other nations who give money to Ukraine. Sometimes when nations just as other entities give with strings attached but what can an entity that gives out of a spirit of generosity expect. Research question: is the United States weaker when giving to the point of exhaustion of assets. The Bible calls for a year of jubilee which occurs on the seventh year that a debt has been taken on. When we are entangled with owing other nations money, do we create a state of national co-dependency both upstream and downstream. Does the money we give to Ukraine create a sense of overreliance on foreign aid which weakens Ukraine's sovereignty and ableness to sustain its own economy. Muslims say that the person who goes to bed full while the neighbor is starving is not a true believer. Likewise the Christian faith through the parable of the Good Samaritan examines altruism. The story of David and Nabel in 1 Samuel 25:2 talks about returning the favor. David wants to speak harshly with Nabel for not helping David in a time David really needs help. The economic question is it wise to give a thousand dollars to a cause. The answer is yes, even if one is not fully on board with the project because the thousand dollars can be an economic initiative which fuels economic development. The people working on the project spend money on building materials and this is an investment in distribution of resources. It can be argued that a thousand dollar gift can save even more money in the future. For example, a tax payer might wonder the wisdom of paying for a preventative care center for homeless and for meals. Children do their best work when they are given adequate nutrition. This can help the child escape the cycle of poverty. They have ideas which can help when the tax payer is unable to work because of them becoming elderly. There is an Aesop fable about a mouse saving a lion's life by freeing the lion from a rope. The lion decides to spare the mouse's life and go hungry instead of eating the mouse. There is a time for everything. I like how Ukraine is self-determined to fight the battle itself with support. Everyone needs support on occasion. It is difficult to do business with friends because the friend feels sympathy towards the other party in the exchange and often goes too much towards giving a discount. Should they engage with empathy instead of sympathy, a longer sustainable solution is reached. This requires having good boundaries and the sense of "this land is your land, this land is my land". This fosters good balance without co-dependency and healthy self esteem. When a person gives wisely, the blessing comes back even more. While this is a philosophical argument with largely moral arguments, the financial engineer looks for investment opportunities to make this a win-win situation for all parties involved.