Is philanthropy innate? For example, is philanthropy part of a person’s personality or character, or is it an act of kindness that can be learned?
What actually is philanthropy? Arthur Frantzreb defined philanthropy as “a spiritual act, an expression of caring for one’s fellow human beings. It is a belief in the future and that the future can be good.” If philanthropy is a spiritual act, it follows that a person does not need to be wealthy to be a philanthropist because the act comes from the heart, and not from the wallet.
In fact, it is true that the greatest contributions towards philanthropy come from the average person and from people in the lower economic strata of society, rather than the top echelons of society. Hence, it stems from a person’s passion or a person’s mindset.
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If philanthropy is a spiritual act, it also follows that the underlying philosophy behind philanthropy is not about the amount of money given, but the deed that is performed. It is also maintained that a true philanthropic act is the desire to understand the root cause of a problem, a situation, or another person’s pain or poverty. Often giving money does not necessary get to the root cause of a problem. Yet spending time with the sick, ill, disadvantaged, or impoverished often does commence the process of understanding.
As some say, what is needed is often a hand up, not a hand out. As other’s say, charity begins at home. There are many of these sayings that ring true.
What is also noted is that poverty is relative. What constitutes poverty to one person or family does not hold true for another person or family. Therefore philanthropy is not always proportionately appreciated. What one person appreciates, another person may not. But often people innately know where to direct their acts of kindness, whether it is appreciated immediately or not.
Philanthropy is indeed a spiritual act of kindness, and one that comes from an inner drive to make a difference in the world. Hence it is innate. However, an innate act can inspire others, especially within the family and close community, which can lead to others becoming philanthropic. Remember, an act of kindness shared is a problem halved.
