Gifts, Giving & Generosity
Gifts, Giving & Generosity
Much of what we call giving & generosity is plain selfishness as it is built solely on the so-called benefits of giving.
We claim to be strategic when it comes to giving by asking ourselves questions like:
- What is in it for me?
- Will this person give it to me if they have it?
- Has this person been good to me in the past?
- Does this person have the potential to be helpful to me in the future?
If a good fraction of these questions has positive answers, we then go on to give. If not, we back out.
While I’m in no position to tell you how to spend your time, money, or resources, I can tell you that any form of giving built on how that giving might be beneficial to you is nothing close to generosity and everything close to selfishness.
Giving is all about sacrifice, and generosity is about selflessness. It is doing a thing for another without expecting anything in return.
Any form of giving that thinks about the self and how it can benefit from giving is nothing but selfishness.
Giving is not transactional. It is sacrificial. It is making peace that you might never see the recipient ever in for life again, but the joy that a need has been met is all you’d ever get in return, and that’s fine with you.
To be continued…
