Generosity - By: Ana Holub

One of the key ingredients on our clear path to peace is generosity. There are so many ways to be generous!

I've traveled a bit, I am well aware that those who have been born in the Western world can certainly be much more charitable in terms of sharing our resources. Yet I'm not just speaking about being generous with money or material goods.

I encourage financial giving, and I fully support every single person on this planet to have what is really our divine birthright: clean air, clean water, a roof over our heads, a good education, family, good medical care, and food. That's a related but different discussion.

What Generosity Is Not

It's worth examining the false generosity that we've all been taught. Its hallmark is burnishing our image. We wonder, "Does it look like I'm being generous?" For women and girls, "Am I being a good girl or 'ladylike' in my giving?" For men, "Am I showing my status and my power by having enough to give away?" That's not what I'm talking about either.

And I'm not suggesting that we give out of guilt. That's another common and obviously false generosity. Guilty giving says, "If I can just give enough, I won't have to feel so guilty for being born a white American, a wealthy European, Australian, or Japanese."

What I'm talking about is something quite different. It is another essential aspect of our clear path to peace. This kind of generosity is a feeling we get when we are so overflowing with divine love that the only thing left to do is to give it away.

This is a generosity of compassion rather than a false idol, stemming from guilt or an addiction to image. It's easy, fun, satisfying, and natural.

Practical, Easy Steps Toward Generosity

One of the ways we can be generous is sharing empathy, humor, laughter, and joy. We don't only have to reach out during a crisis, although that's what we've been taught. How about simply sharing with each other because it's more fun to live on a planet where we share the good times, the medium times, and the bad times - all of it?

We can share a smile, a wink, a sunset, or a rainbow. Let's envision a world in which we all live this way simply because it's natural and we're overflowing with divine love. There is no neediness, no feeling drained, none of that familiar - especially to women - giving, giving, giving, feeling exhausted, and having nothing left.

Instead, there is a playfulness in it, so that when we travel from our home across the street or across the world, we recognize equality in all beings. We feel safe to stop and chat, to look people in the eye, to share love, culture, art and beauty with them.

Begin Within

It's a good practice to begin at home. Start by rearranging the agreements that you have with yourself and your family members about what true generosity is really about.

You'll need to restructure some pretty deep patterns, beginning with the question: What is being generous to yourself? Is that even legal? Do you have to break some inner taboos in order to go in this direction?

Individually and collectively, we need to grapple with these questions. We must ask: How can we open to the constant, available love of the Divine? How do we let it flow through our consciousness, our mind, emotions, and body... to the point where we're so saturated that we're just overflowing?

Shall we be joyfully brave and wise right now, and give this love away?

About the Author

Ana Holub, MA teaches you how to forgive, and how to deepen love and happiness in your life. She is a forgiveness counselor and peace educator based in Mount Shasta, CA. Since 1985, women, men, teens, couples, prison inmates, non-profit organizations, businesses, and schools have benefited from her work. Get FREE DOWNLOADS about forgiveness and healthy communication. FREE CONSULTATION. Phone sessions available. http://www.anaholub.com.

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