The Character of Generosity

Character Leadership - The Character of Generosity

“Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality and benevolence, the other from pride or fear.” – Horace Mann

 

Definition:  The trait of being willing to give your money, help or time freely to do what is right and good.

Greed, Selfishness, Stinginess, and Miserliness are the opposites of generosity. Pride and arrogance will be the main driving force when these negatives traits exist. Generosity is an example of how we positively we view life itself. We are confident and positive about life and as such, we gain much because we are enthusiastic and strive to achieve. When we can comprehend this concept, we will become more charitable with others.

Generosity is the realization we have the love for others flowing in us. To keep this love fresh, it must flow out of us. The Dead Sea in Israel has no life in it; hence the name, The Dead Sea. It is because it has no outlet. It has a river flowing into it from the sea, but the water remains there, the seawater becomes stagnated with harsh salts and minerals to the point that nothing can live or grow there. When we are stingy, we become like the Dead Sea--stagnant and lifeless. The living water within us will quickly become stagnant, like a mud puddle with mosquito larvae growing in it, useless and old.

Reflection:

Ask yourself; “Have I been generous to others especially those in need?” Sharing is an important part of being generous. When we learn how to share, we learn how to love and care for others. To give by having a hidden expectation is not being generous. Anyone can do this. To give without expecting anything back is anything back is a true gift from the heart. It gives joy to both the giver as well as the one receiving.

As Character leaders, we must extend ourselves to other people with generosity and what flows out of generosity are fresh insights and wise council from others. Praise is one of the hardest things to give as we are taking the limelight away from us when we give praise. It is worth giving as it gives much pleasure to the recipient and it balances our tendency to criticize and blame. Each of us has talents that we can use to benefit others. Use it fully. Time is precious as well as free. If we use it to help others we would have used the time well.