Generosity

I don’t know if generosity is the cure for everything, but it seems to be the cure for a lot of things. I think of generosity as a spirit of being — a general philosophy of existence — more than a reflection of how much you have to give, from a material sense. I know some very generous rich people, and I know some very generous poor people. And I know people, rich and poor, who cannot seem to open their hands or their hearts toward others. The most generous people I know operate within a world of abundance — certain that they have something extra of themselves to share (whether it’s love, money, time, attention, or faith.) I also believe that the highest grade of generosity must include the self. (Showing Mercy toward yourself for your own broken humanity is perhaps the most intimate act of generosity of all. The people I know who are the most easeful in their giving seem to have done the most healing work on themselves, too.) - Elizabeth Gilbert