In a world with extreme poverty, environmental degradation and wars of genocide and terror, it is easy to lose hope and question whether we can have any positive impact in the world. Bill Clinton’s book Giving is both challenging and encouraging. Giving issues a challenge to each of us to look for ways we can give. Regardless of our wealth, we are all blessed with the opportunity to share and give to those who are in need.Through the retelling of numerous stories of generous givers, Clinton demonstrates that everyone has the opportunity to play a role in dealing with poverty, environmental degradation and wars of genocide and terror and encourages us to look for ways we can give. As Giving explains, there are numerous ways to do so with money, time, things, skills, and even gifts of reconciliation and new beginnings.
It is easy to question whether we have to means to give when we hear about Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet contributing such large amounts of time and money. But Clinton also shares the stories of Oseola McCarty, an eighty-seven year old black woman from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who gave seventy-five years worth of savings to establish a university scholarship for poor African-American girls and McKenzie Steiner, a six year-old girl who organized a drive to clean up a beach in her community. Giving demonstrates that everyone can give: children, parents, grandparents; students and teachers; employees, managers, and CEOs; neighborhood communities, local governments and national governments; churches, synagogues, and mosques; high-income, middle-income, and low-income people. It is the sum of every small gift that we can give that will impact the world, not just the large individual gifts.
Giving provides us with a jump-start in looking for ways to give to the poor and needy in our own neighborhood and around the world. As Clinton states, “In America, many of us are besieged by more requests for help than we can grant. All of us need to decide between competing claims on our time and money…. [But,] that is a choice only you can make.”
Clinton concludes by explaining that we can find happiness in giving. Knowing that our gift, no matter how small, is changing another person’s life can bring a lot of happiness. Giving is a challenge to answer to the needs of people around the world in a way that can bring true happiness.
3 comments:
I guess to play a bit of devil's advocate for some fun I'd like to ask "When is giving to much" We must not lose ourselves in our giving or we will quickly be unable to give. Remember to give to yourself as well. Give yourself a break, give yourself some credit. It can be so easy to give to others but if you don't give to yourself as well you'll have nothing left to give. The other side of giving, not to over-indulge but to appreciate one's own gifts. Something to consider.
Good point Amy. I agree that if we give too much, we'll soon have nothing to give anymore. But by definition, giving means to transfer something to someone else. Therefore, we cannot give to ourselves; instead we can only take for ourselves. That is not to say that taking is a bad thing. Indeed, as you pointed out, we need to take time for ourselves for a break and to rest from giving. The challenge from the book Giving is to realize how much more we can give if only we stop and realize how much we take. Not an easy thing to do, but that's why I say it's a challenge. If we stop every now and then to think though, I believe we can all overcome the challenge.
I wonder if it less about giving too much and more about giving in the context of a community where you are given and supported and celebrated even as you give, support and celebrate others. Just a thought.
Great blog title, by the way. I write on the theme of Micah 6:8 a lot.
Peace,
Jamie
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