The Generosity in You

“Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal” - Rumi

According to Wikiversity, generosity is “giving to another person something that is yours out of your own freewill and not as an obligation”. Huffpost.com describes it so well as “the quality of being kind and understanding, the willingness to give others things that have value”.

The moment the word ‘generous’ is mentioned, I know a lot of people who’d immediately think it’s about giving money but it is not always so. There are so many non-monetary acts of generosity we can cultivate in our everyday lives. As a teenager, a habit of generosity will go a long way to make you the great person you want to be in future.

You can start with the non-monetary generosity: a simple smile (you can’t begin to imagine what a smile means to a stranded stranger or a dejected child); spending time with PLWDs and the elderly; volunteering at homeless shelters, hospitals and orphanages; giving your talent and resources to worthy community causes; showing respect, love, commendation, etc, to others.

Generosity is a manifestation of good character. It isn’t easy to look out for the needs of others – ask selfish people… but it takes genuine humility to be generous. The natural tendency of man is to hoard what they have, not share with, or much less, give to others, especially since true generosity is unconditional. With unconditional generosity, you give without anticipation of repayment, and sometimes, not even a word of appreciation.

I love telling young people that generosity spreads. It can be transferred from generation to generation; from person to person; and family to family. One act of generosity towards another can spread to other people who never even knew anything about it, over a period of time. I’ve benefitted from the generosity of people who’ve told me my parents, grandparents, spouse, siblings, children, friends, etc, were good to them at some time.

Generosity has a lot of benefits. According to huffpost.com, generosity;

1.   Reduces stress

2.   Supports one’s physical health

3.   Enhances one’s sense of purpose

4.   Naturally fights depression

5.   Increases one’s lifespan

6.   Promotes social connection

7.   Improves relationships

8.   Makes you feel better about yourself

The Story of Raphael

I met Raphael when I was running a cold storage business somewhere in Lagos, Nigeria. He was seventeen, had just completed his secondary school education and looking to do something to earn some money. Along with frozen foods, we also had chilled table and sachet water for sale. Raphael was willing to buy and hawk the water around the neighbourhood, which was a huge commercial area with plenty of pedestrians desperate for available chilled water to drink on a boiling-hot day.

Raphael was so hard working. In a matter of weeks, he was selling as much as five packs of table water (12 pet bottles each) and ten bags of sachet water (20 sachets each) in just one day. Now Raphael had told me that he’d like to go to the university and he’d be saving his sales proceeds towards that desire. I didn’t have the heart to discourage him by telling him that he’d have several years of hawking to do but I supported him to obtain the JAMB Form and attend extramural lessons. Raphael did very well in the examinations but he had no hope of following up on his admission or even paying his fees.

One morning, I noticed that Raphael didn’t return for quite a long time for another supply. This was so unusual. He had the fastest turnaround time among all our retailers and I became worried. When he finally, showed up, Raphael told me he’d helped an elderly lady, carrying heavy bags, to her house in the neighbourhood. On the way, both of them enjoyed plenty conversation about his family, his schooling aspirations, his retailing business, etc. She was happy to hear that Raphael had taken the university examinations and scored so well. Subsequently, Raphael would stop by her house to visit and help with chores.

One day, this lady invited Raphael to visit her to meet somebody. Raphael was introduced to a senior member of staff in one of the universities Raphael chose and is the lady’s son. To cut the story short, this man helped Raphael to secure admission into the university and a scholarship from the state government, and gave Raphael accommodation in his own home. Today, Raphael is a graduate and doing well. God had given him the keys to his door of opportunities and he opened that door with generosity to an old woman.

With habitual generosity, you become detached from material possessions. The tendency to acquire and hoard is completely lost on you. Rather, you are occupied with ensuring that the needs of others are met; hopes are raised; and lives inspired. Like Raphael, generosity could also be the key to your door of opportunities. 

Richelle E. Goodrich said, “Every sunrise is an invitation for us to arise and brighten someone’s day”.