Head, Heart and Hands

Generosity is a creative power emerging from the deepest part of ourselves, drawing us closer and closer to life. But for such a transformative power, it needs only the smallest gestures to express itself—a smile for a stranger, a hand to someone who is stumbling, a donation to a cause that touches us.

When we act with generosity, we creatively participate in the world—providing a way for our head and hands to serve the heart. We see beyond our own needs and become capable of serving the needs around us. Living in service isn't just a practice or a duty, but a simple and direct expression of who we are and who we can be.

The myth of ‘not enough'

"Not enough" is one of the most destructive myths of our time. As we perpetuate this myth, give it substance and honor it in our private and public lives, we build structures around ourselves, hoard our resources, and isolate ourselves from others through competition and fear. As Rabindranath Tagore said, "Whatever we treasure for ourselves separates us from others: our possessions are our limitations."

Generosity releases us from these bonds of self-interest, and allows us to directly experience the truth that not only do most of us have enough—we have enough to share.

Nipun Mehta founded the California-based non-profit Charity Focus in 1999 as an "experiment in giving." Run by almost 9,000 volunteers, Charity Focus offers a variety of services geared toward helping those in need, and encouraging others to do the same. Mehta explains that giving reveals a fundamental truth: "The reason why you feel empty is because you don't give enough, not because you don't have enough!" Mehta echoes wisdom of almost every spiritual tradition. From Taoism's Lao Tze: "The master has no possessions… The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is."

The myth of "not enough" is more than just harmless fantasy; it's a destructive force in the world perpetuating ignorance and imbalance. When we choose to hoard or waste what we have instead of exploring what is possible through giving to others, we limit ourselves and humanity as a whole. Every day many of us throw away food, while somewhere nearby a person goes hungry. Is there a way to think and act with more imagination so we can serve our primal instinct to serve others? It's up to us. "Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness," said Martin Luther King.

Unconditional

Sometimes we give because we want something in return—we want acknowledgement, or to feel better about ourselves. But every time we practice serving others, no matter what our motivation, there's an opportunity to experience life's unconditional nature.

In the West, the desire for "reward" has deep cultural and spiritual roots. The Protestant work ethic that infused the life of our earliest American settlers suggested that hard work here on earth reflected entrance into heaven. "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt...," says Matthew 6:20 in the New Testament, suggesting we must hide away what is most valuable for later enjoyment. And our modern ideas about karma inspire us to do good things now, so good things will come to us later.