Third Reason Why We Should Practise Giving

Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky explains in The How of Happiness how giving fosters a heightened sense of connection between people. The pioneering neuroscientist John Cacioppo resonates with Lyubomirsky in Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection when he describes how giving strengthens our ties.

To Give

Donors experience a strong sense of connection with their beneficiaries when they give as it brings them to think more about the issues confronting others. Their initial empathy is further heightened, and they develop greater compassion and concern than they would otherwise. Giving feeds their sense of care and develops their kindness for others. The more they practise giving the kinder they persuade themselves to be. Many people practise the virtue of giving throughout life. The act is not only practised by generous billionaires like the Microsoft giant, Bill Gates. Even the most humble will practise it. It is an honourable act that has helped countless – providing for the basic human needs of water, food, health, education etc. And the greater the social connection that arises between the donor and recipient, the more donors will commit to helping a project or someone succeed. They want to see the child they are supporting go through school and graduate and make something out of their life. They want to see the adult with a desire to work draw up a plan and put it into action and begin to make a living. Donors give because they care and because they identify with others.

Or Not To Give

There are those who choose not to give. They do not see it as their responsibility to help in this way. They believe that governments should be responsible for providing for the needy. They believe that there is not much that their small donation can accomplish. They wonder what difference it can make. Some would go further and say that charities are not honest. And others would go further still with their disapproval and suggest that the poor ought to work harder. These are all legitimate reasons for choosing not to give. However, I wonder if those who choose not to give can experience firsthand the individual hardships of the needy if their viewpoint would remain the same. It is my opinion that many people cannot see the forest from the trees because they are looking too closely at the details and miss the big picture that often in life people need a helping hand.

That Is The Question

Giving helps cultivate and advance our social connection with others. It helps us to think more about the problems of others as we become a solution to their struggles. We can all do something to help those in need. It’s a choice. We don’t have to be rich to practise the virtue of giving. And of course we don’t have to respond to every cause or every plea. Where would you place yourself in this dialogue, and why?