What comes to your mind when you see individuals or organizations performing philanthropic acts and being aired on TV?
Virtues are very difficult to measure or even compare and they require a lot of time to evaluate too. If someone challenged you about physical activity, you could easily fight it out or play some kind of power tussle.
But virtues are different.
Virtues like honesty, humility, forgiveness, etc. They go beyond outward behavior. A person’s underlying thoughts and motives cannot be overlooked in this case. If they are not right then the virtues may not really count. The same is true for generosity. These are certainly not the only standards they are the most interesting and controversial.
How else would we describe generosity other than someone who regularly donates one’s money, time and resources?
• The Gift Has To Be Of Value
If for instance, I want to change my wardrobe because I don’t like my old clothes anymore and I haven’t even worn most of them for months, then I begin to feel that they’re just occupying space and I decide to give all of them out, It’s not exactly generosity. They’re no more valuable to me. It’s a good act quite alright because I could have chosen to burn them or sell them or so but I chose to give them out. But it’s not really generosity
It is generosity when a person gives something of value to him, something that he/she cares about, regardless of the amount.
• The Motive Should Revolve Around Others
Some people have recognized the fame and recognition that comes along with huge donations and they have tried to use this to their advantage. These people make donations to charities and even get awarded for philanthropic acts just to be famous.
A few others make donations to appease a guilty conscience. All these are self-focused reasons. Generosity should be primarily altruistic. It is not wrong at all to receive recognition for donations, but the main reason should ultimately be for others.
Any other person could have chosen not to give and nobody would judge him for that.
Basically, a few things to consider would be
• Was the gift important to the person?
• Does the person tend to give even when external rewards are not involved?
• Does the person seem to be donating out of a sense of obligation, or is this a free gift of money or time that he/she could have used in other ways?
This is not an absolute test, but these few points help us look into the hearts of others as well as ours. The important thing though is to give.
Like mentioned earlier, there’s nothing wrong with being recognized as a philanthropist, but the altruistic motives should just be stronger.
This brings us to the question of the very existence of generosity. Because suppose there is nothing like altruistic motivation, it would mean that everything ultimately tends to our personal interest. And that would mean that there is no generosity.
Research in psychology proves otherwise. Altruistic motivation exists and it happens through empathy. If you empathise with other people’s suffering, you are more likely to help them out.
Generosity exists, though, it seems to first require a state of mind where we feel other people’s pain.
My point is not that we shouldn’t be grateful. Gratitude is very important. If someone were to give me a Mac laptop right now, I’d be really grateful no matter the motive.
We don’t necessarily have to examine motives before saying thanks. We might also need to examine our personal reasons some times, but most of all, the important thing is to give. It’s a great habit to develop!
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