William Golding’s classic novel, The Lord of the Flies, paints a grim portrait of human nature, illustrating how, without the constraint of civilization, we descend into savagery. Yet, in the end, the mere presence of an adult brings the chaos to an immediate end. So, ignoring for the moment how we can draw conclusions about human nature from a work of fiction, does this really tell us about human nature, or a world where we suddenly find our elders disappeared, and our traditions broken?

I finally gave in and joined Facebook and Twitter last November, when my company sent me to a conference, and the sessions on “social media” finally persuaded me to join. It didn’t take long before I found the Causes app, which seemed like a wonderfully simple way to direct some money towards a good cause. I found that my favorite charity, the Friends of Allegheny Wilderness, had no representation there, so, I set up a Cause for them. I don’t have any “official” connection to FAW, so if you have such a tie to the organization, feel free to contact me, and I’ll happily turn it over—I just wanted to make sure FAW had something there.