I mourn for all the hoarders out there. What are you holding on to too much of – wealth, resources, knowledge? Why do you feel the need to keep so much of it if it can be more freely shared with others? Have you ever considered how freeing it can feel to share your bounties with beings? How fulfilled are you being a Scrooge? Do you possess true happiness? Some of my greatest moments are being of service to another. When I generously donate my own time, money, and/or energy in a selfless way, it amazes me how much it pays me back with invaluable intangibles. The overflowing fullness of my heart and the contented satisfaction of my soul are worth those amounts. I do not find myself later missing what I was able to generously give to others. Instead, I am able to reflect with joyful gratitude on how well-received my acts of kindness are accepted.
Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.
-Albert Camus
Hoarding often comes from a place of fear, warding off some future lack by piling up potential now. If you got it once, you can get it again, right? Do not get me wrong, saving up a nest egg is smart and sensible. Planning an emergency fund is effective and recommended. However, do you need to plan out all of your time for your own activities? Can you volunteer in your community as an act of generosity? Collecting too much without distributing it or paying it forward will not matter much in the end. Will you take any of those accumulations with you? I do not think so. I think the generous acts will follow us. True generosity is what matters, though. There is a difference. You may fool other humans, but you will not fool the accounting that awaits. Give freely and give often so you do not even hoard a counter of these acts. Simply rest easy knowing that you are doing your best for yourself and for others. Find a balance that generously benefits all.
It is every [person’s] obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what [they] take out of it.
-Albert Einstein
Hoarding can also come from a place of craving. If you think you should have it all, then you are going to struggle with being generous. However, if you can learn to accept being fine with a fair allotment, then you can share a lot fairly with others. After all, when does yet more craving ever give back to your holistic well-being? Doing well by other beings will certainly give back. Perhaps not in ways you may think, expect, or be accustomed to, but I find the mystery there to be both alluring and exciting. I no longer crave full control of my life because I like inviting curiosity. The outcome is not what drives my generosity.
Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.
-Frank A. Clark
Plant the trees whose shade you will never sit under. Do not maintain a status quo. Do we really need to force others to suffer in the same way that we have in the past? I do not want to pay the same pains forward; I want to even and smooth out the playing field. I yearn to be generous and kind with as many of my actions as possible. Sometimes I will need to direct that yearning inward to practice proper self-care. Then, when operating optimally myself, I can direct it outward to do nice things regardless of any recognition.
Maybe it is wise. Maybe it is dumb. Time will tell.