The Wisest Bear is Tim's companion. He goes everywhere with Tim until he (the Bear) falls overboard into the water. Tim dives in to rescue him. At its heart, the story is about love and how to live. The heart of the story sings to the reader about how sometimes it takes forgetting or losing one's everyday-self to come to one's own Wisest understanding. The main character of the book, the real-life Tim, is all grown-up and is a bioethicist. He doesn't remember rescuing his Bear, but it happened just so. Tim has requested that the proceeds of the book be donated to a charity that "saves or improves lives the most per dollar." After inspecting many charities, he is specifying the Give Well organization as a recipient of the proceeds. One can find out more about this organization at www.givewell.com .