Generosity is only a virtue if it serves the people on the receiving end. Giving becomes selfish when we give because it makes us feel better or serves our satisfaction.
Here are some things we should perhaps give a little less of:
- Our opinions. If it’s not asked (sometimes even if it is) and if you are not an expert, and if your contribution will add no value, don’t offer it.
- Our anxiety. We are part of the social narrative that helps it spread, inflame and dramatise. Keeping it to yourself snuffs out the flame.
- Our attention. So many causes are seeking our eyes and ears. They want to intrude our lives and shout louder until we succumb. It’s the quiet voices that have something valuable to say.
The scarcer we make these things, the more valuable they become. The upside – its completely in your control.
