Opinion Page: Charity or generosity, that is the question

From the Greenfield Recorder, April 28, 2023

Have you ever considered the difference between charity and generosity? Does giving to others make you feel good? When you drop a few coins in The Salvation Army bucket at Christmas, or donate a little to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital, do you take notice of your giving and pat yourself on the back just a bit? Or when you volunteer a few hours at your local food pantry, do you feel you have done your part?

All giving is good, and meeting the needs of others as we can is commendable, but there is a marked difference between charitable acts and generosity. Let’s read from the great Sufi poet, Hafiz, to see how he addresses the subject of giving:

The Sun Never Says

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 up the whole sky!

“Look what happens with a love like that …” Hafiz’s poem speaks to far more than half-hearted or “tit for tat” giving, and it reminds us of how transformative selfless giving can be for all of us.

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darryll jones