Shellys commentary: Generosity is a learned character trait involving attitude, action
According to a class of 5th graders, Glen Lake Elementary School in Hopkins, Minnesota had a problem. Children with disabilities could not access the playground equipment and had to unfairly sit out recess. It would take $300,000 to buy additional equipment. These young people were not deterred by the amount, because this needed fixing. They reached their goal because of their ingenuity and other’s generosity and they did not stop there, as they continue to raise money for other schools in the district. It was as simple and pure as having a big heart, understanding fairness, and taking action.
Christian Smith defines generosity in an article titled “What Makes us Generous?” He explains it as “the virtue of giving good things to others freely and abundantly.” Generosity is a learned character trait involving both attitude and action. It is a basic orientation to life. It involves those things that are good for another. It may be “money, possessions, time, attention, aid, encouragement, or emotional availability.” It always is meant to enhance the wellbeing of the recipient. The purest form of generosity, we would suggest, is anonymous generosity, for example, the pay-it-forward idea of recipients never knowing their benefactor and the Go-Fund-Me drives, which simply focus on need. Generosity is an oxymoron, for it is both simple and complex, sometimes not making much sense to our logical minds.
Generosity is not just an American value and the most generous countries in the world are not always the richest. The UK based Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) uses three measures to gauge generosity: Helping a Stranger, Donating Money, and Volunteering Time. The World Giving Index authors tell us that “there is no one trait that points to a country’s generosity.” The highest scoring countries represent a wide range of geographies, religions, cultures and levels of wealth. Seven of the top ten most generous countries in the world are among the wealthiest in the world, while others are much less affluent, relying more on volunteering and helping strangers. In these cases, cultural factors, particularly religious beliefs, appear to play a role. Several African nations topped the list of countries likely to help a stranger, suggesting that there could be a link to the “African philosophy of ‘ubuntu,’ which promotes caring and community.”
A Charlie Brown cartoon observed, “Have you ever noticed that a person who has nothing, will help you faster than a person with everything?” That still comes as a surprise to many. “Lower-income Americans give proportionally more of their incomes to charity than do upper-income Americans.” (“The Charitable-Giving Divide” – NY Times Magazine). Empathy and compassion appear to be key ingredients in the generosity of the poor. The research found that “members of each group (rich or poor) will identify with other members of the group to which they belong. Their issues will resonate more deeply.”
Generosity raises a lot of questions. How would you characterize the generous people you know? A few of the adjectives used to describe generous individuals are happy, kind, free, friendly, and confident. “Generous people do not get their self-worth from what they give, but by their freedom to give it.” Another writer expanded the list by including trustworthy, altruistic, energetic, leader, optimist, while still another points to health, emotional wellbeing, and a sense of purpose in life. Would you add anything?
What motivates the most generous people? Personal gain is not the motivating factor, but rather it is their idealistic vision of how the world should or could be. Generous people don’t stop giving their time, energy, or money even as they recognize the world is an imperfect place.
How do we explain why some people are not generous? Altruism carries a personal cost. If you give that last piece of pie to someone else, that means there’s nothing for you. Selfishness and fear of scarcity are still powerful motivators for some.
Why is it important to be generous? This is where personal gratitude comes in and it is perhaps where churches have the most influence. They teach that generosity is rooted in gratitude for the blessings received and that much more than money is involved. “We humans are ultimately generous because, if we (or enough of us) were not generous, we not only would not survive but could never flourish as persons.”
There is great power in words. That definitely includes “generosity.” If each of us was motivated by the word “generosity” in 2023, we would be on our way to changing ourselves, our country, and our world for the better.
Walter Shelly retired after 40 years as a professor of political science at West Texas A&M University. Linda Shelly retired after 33 years of teaching sociology at West Texas A&M University and Amarillo College.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Shellys commentary: Giving some thought to generosity
