Being Generous

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How generous are we? Do I think about who and when to give if I am walking down the street? I wish I was not so concerned since I am living in a selfish world but by not giving I won’t be happy with myself and will be just as stingy so I had better give on occasion. Here are some of the rules that apply to me; what I look for when I give to some homeless person. As well I am aware that I fall into the category of not really having much to give materially but that does not matter.

Our friends tease us when it is the holiday season and it is time to give although every day should have the holiday spirit in mind. Maybe some of them are rich while we are struggling to pay for our education or rent. Rich people do give by the way but not the same way that poorer people do. The tendency id that generally lower income people are more likely to dig in their pocket while richer types will avoid any direct contact with the person sitting on the sidewalk with a cardboard sign asking for help. But not all rich people act the same way and some middle class people are very stingy.

Statistics show that a smaller portion of the rich man’s income will go to a needy charity than a poor or middle-income person. Rich people may argue that they do give and in fact some are very generous but the giving usually does not target the needier people, large amounts of money goes to fund drives to keep orchestras playing and concert halls open. In other words the homeless guy is a non-entity to those charitable givers and those same givers can’t argue that they are generously giving to the homeless person.

So the, idle and low wage earner is more giving, generally speaking and the rich home owner is more likely to think he gives but there is much more that he capable of giving. The rich have always been known to be that way because they hold onto their money better and that is a quality to merit in time of a personal need or emergency. But there seems to be a gap that exists between rich and poor that has been passed along for centuries and has become more apparent because of a disappearing middle class.