Barbara Bonner - Inspiring Generosity

INSPIRING GENEROSITY Wisdom Publications 199 Elm Street Somerville, MA 02144 USA www.wisdompubs.org 2014 Barbara Bonner All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bonner, Barbara, 1948 Inspiring generosity / Barbara Bonner. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-1-61429-110-7 (pbk. paper)
ISBN-10: 1-61429-110-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-61429-130-5 (eBook) 1. paper)
ISBN-13: 978-1-61429-130-5 (eBook) 1.

Generosity. I. Title. BJ1533.G4B66 2014 179.9dc23 2013026575 18 17 16 15 14 5 4 3 2 1 Cover design by Phil Pascuzzo. Interior design by Gopa & Ted2, Inc. Author photo by Nancy Crampton.

DEDICATION For Alexandra and CharlieIt is a very generous universethat let me be your mother. Contents EVEN AFTER ALL THIS TIME, THE SUN NEVER SAYS TO THE EARTH, YOU OWE ME LOOK WHAT HAPPENS WITH A LOVE LIKE THAT. IT LIGHTS THE WHOLE SKY HAFIZ WHAT IS GENEROSITY? G ENEROSITY is an activity that can change the world. It works its magic on one person at a time; then, almost effortlessly, its beautiful multiplying force animates families, friends, communities, cultures, and the world at large. Unlike its close cousin, compassion, generosity requires action. To be a generous person, you must act.

In many ways, generosity is compassion in action, and it is love in action. Its no surprise that generosity is at the very heart of all the worlds major religions. Generosity is a practice. And as with anything we practice, we get better at it over time. Its a muscle that needs exercise. Generous actions have impact on the beneficiaries, but they also change the lives of the generous in remarkable ways.

Generosity can transform our place in the world and how we live our lives. Generosity can be revolutionary. Generosity is often confused with giving. There are many ways to give. We all have something to giveour time, our caring and caretaking, a kind word, a smile, encouragement, material gifts of all kinds. But all giving does not necessarily fit my definition of generosity.

You can give with the expectation of receiving acclaim for your gift. You can give to create a certain outcome that will benefit you personally. You can give in order to be in the company of people who will be impressed by your ability to give. And you can give from a generous place in your heart that propels you forward to provide what is needed, with little concern for applause and recognition for yourself. Generosity is often quite bold, ignoring the advice of friends and family and moving forward with courage and conviction. Generosity is willing to take risks.

In fact, risks have little constraint on a generous heart. Generosity invites us to put ourselves in anothers shoes, see and feel the existence of a pressing need, realize that it is within our power to help, and then act in whatever way we can. Its really as simple as that. THE INVITATION This little book is an invitation to savor a sampling of the very best inspirations on the subject of generosityleading voices from across cultures and centuries, wise words from the worlds of religion and spirituality, moving stories about contemporary people whose lives have been transformed by the power of generosity, and eloquent poems on the theme of generosity. I invite you to dip in and enjoy a few pages at a timeor curl up for an afternoon and read them all. You can start anywherethis book has no beginning, middle, or end.

In bringing together these moments of generosity, I have had the great joy of spending three years immersed in the study of this magnificent quality in its many forms and flavors. After a professional lifetime working in philanthropy, I have become a student again in creating this book. I have studied how generosity has been regarded through the lenses of history and religion, as elucidated in the Bible, the Koran, the Torah, Buddhist texts, and the Tao Te Ching. I have worked with poets and literature professors to comb through the best poems of the last six centuries for those that have generosity at their heart. I have read hundreds of accounts of people whose lives were struck by what I call a lightning bolt of generosity that transformed their lives. I have studied the current scientific literature on whether humans are altruistic by nature (recent work points to yes), what chemical substances serve to make us more or less generous, and what areas of the brain light up when we are engaged in generous acts.

I have attended conferences and retreats all over the world, most notably in Zurich for a remarkable meeting headed by the Dalai Lama, with economists, scientists, and Buddhist scholars who are exploring altruism in its many forms. (For those who want to dive more deeply into the literature of generosity, the books website, www.inspiringgenerosity.net, includes a comprehensive reference bibliography of the main sources that guided me.) I hope readers will want to give this book as a token of gratitude to all the generous people in their lives. I hope it will make its way to desks, coffee tables, and bedside tables, as well as beach chairs, pulpits, and meditation cushions. I hope that philanthropists and leaders of our foundations and charitable arms of our businesses will display this book in their homes and offices, turning to it to renew the spiritual engine of their work. Nonprofit boards and executives should have this book, and they should give it to those who donate to the organizations they lead. Fundraisers should have this book on their desks and make it a gift to the generous people who light up their work.

Retreat centers will want to make this book available to their students, teachers, participants, and guests. Volunteers could be given this book as a token of appreciation for all they doand perhaps many will have already bought it for themselves! Teachers, professors, religious leaders, poets, and philosophers will all find inspiration in these pages. I even dare hope that our elected officials, who could all do with a bit more generosity of spirit, may find this book a source of inspiration. GENEROSITY AND PHILANTHROPY There are as many forms of philanthropy as there are motives to give. American philanthropy is a uniquely wonderful phenomenon. Our museums, universities and colleges, opera houses and symphony orchestras, hospitals, libraries, and national parks owe their origins in large measure to the charitable giving of very wealthy philanthropists who have profited in extraordinary ways from success in American business.

Some of these philanthropic gifts are meant to enhance our culture in ways the giver deemed important. Some are made to crown the givers in glory. Many philanthropists consider their giving akin to investing. Others give out of a spirit of enlightened generositya desire to give back to a world that has been immensely good to them. And the true angels step forward and ask: How can I help? How much do you need? How can we work together to change things? We live in a culture in which philanthropy is everyday news. We are surrounded by an impressive army of philanthropic billionaires who put large chunks of their fortunes to work for the greater good.

Successful, socially aware business leaders like Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and George Soros have poured vast sums into nonprofit organizations designed to dramatically improve the quality of life of those in great need. In times of catastrophe, Americans respond with remarkable charitable giving. In the days following the Asian tsunami of 2004, Hurricanes Sandy and Katrina, and the earthquake in Haiti, Americans opened their hearts and wallets with truly staggering generosity. I venture to say that, in each case, the individual act of giving, whether $5 or $5,000, gave the donor a deepened sense of meaning and participation in the stream of life that far surpassed the amount of the gift. People pull together in their desire to help. We witnessed a dramatic moment of coming together as a national and international community after the attacks of 9/11, when neighbor helped neighbor in profoundly selfless and generous ways.