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Creatures of Appetites
Greed and generosity are pretty central “moral” issues in many peoples live. We are naturally motivated creatures, and greed and generosity are two sides of the same coin. One can be greedy for opportunities to be generous even, so first let’s focus on greed. We are creatures of appetites, and this is abundantly evident. The…
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Long Term Greed
Generosity isn’t the opposite of greed, and people mistake this. Generosity isn’t a noble learned virtue, and the whole concept of these “higher ideals” has seemed very damaging to me. Generosity is a form of symbiosis and acceptance, and perhaps even willingness to enhance the exchange process. Even science supports this. The species that dominate…
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What is Natural?
The “natural” to some, that is really unnatural, arises from judgment. It is still a process of thought. When we accidentally brush our stove, do we hesitate and say “Is this a good pain or a bad pain?”. Nope, nor do we need to. Nature has provided us a very accurate, and adequate way for…
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Self vs. Ego
What’s the difference between presence and present? Present is ego. Presence is self. There are two types of instincts? No, there is one type of instinct. One whole world of instinct. My definition of ego is an “idea of self”, a self image. To use religious speech, it’s a false idol. Most orthodox believers are…
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Greed and Generosity
Greed and generosity are not the diametric opposites people think them to be, but why do we separate and oppose these in our minds? It’s sort of how our society is structured. There are those with drive, and when we are angry at them we call them greedy. They tell us that we should be…
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Generosity to Ourselves
We begin with generosity to ourselves. Generosity is forgiving. Forgiving is powerful generosity, but it’s also in a sense greed. Because when you allow yourself to see, you realize that whatever you are forgiving isn’t something “personal”. You won’t forgive the person for being who they are, and where they are. You realize it wasn’t…
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Ye Are Gods
The indomitable human spirit is true of us. Even Jesus says at one point in the Bible “Have I not said, Ye are Gods?”, but people weren’t listening. People were too busy making themselves into devils, too busy feeling guilt, and punishing the guilty. Guilt is not virtuous, and never can be. Guilt is not justice.…
Category: Greed/Generosity
Generosity isn’t the opposite of greed. Appetites have a natural balance all their own, and they don’t go to the damaging level until we start twisting our views of them in our mind. But we can’t move into a culture of abundance without facing our judgement of greed. We can only see what we allow ourselves to see, and ultimately that is the spirit of generosity. Generosity is doing something in the world, give something to someone or to the world itself, because you can.
“He who is greedy is always in want.” Horace (Ancient Roman Poet. 65 BC-8 BC)
“Too many have dispensed with generosity in order to practice charity.” Albert Camus (French Novelist, Essayist and Playwright, 1957 Nobel Prize for Literature, 1913-1960)
“I wonder if it isn’t just cowardice instead of generosity that makes us give tips.” Will Rogers (American entertainer, 1879-1935)
“Generosity is nothing else than a craze to possess. All which I abandon, all which I give, I enjoy in a higher manner through the fact that I give it away. To give is to enjoy possessively the object which one gives.” Jean-Paul Sartre (French existentialist philosopher and writer, 1905-1980)