Singer was born somewhere in Australia at a primitive time long ago, when people didn't even think that "ethics" and "eating" had anything to do with each other. As a child, he was endowed with an enlightened moral compass that enabled him to act ethically even if it was imprudent. In fact one Christmas day, Singer decided to give his father the greatest Christmas gift of all: the gift having your car sold, with the proceeds being used to purchase mosquito nets for kids in Africa.