Being Generous - Hardcover

Through the ages, the world's cultures and great religions have in profound, though different, ways sought to answer the big question: how should we live? Part of the answer has to do with how we ought to treat others, particularly those who are most in need. Ample evidence suggests that giving selflessly to others lies at the heart of what it means to be a thoughtful and moral human being. In Being Generous, author Theodore Roosevelt Malloch leads an exploration of this important concept of generous giving.

He begins by examining how generosity fits into the various spiritual traditions, philosophical schools, and economic systems. Further chapters illustrate how generosity need not necessarily always be about money, showing instead how it might also involve the sharing of time and talent. Elsewhere, Malloch explores the science behind generosity, looking, for example, at the relationship between various chemicals in the brain and generous behavior. Beyond the theory and the science of generosity, readers will also find a wealth of inspiration in a collection of profiles of past and present icons of generosity.

Being Generous concludes with a practical action plan that lays out concrete steps that can guide readers toward lives of greater giving.

“Why give? Regardless of what religion or philosophy you practice, this book will help you find your own answer to that question. Ted Malloch’s own journey from ‘keeper’ to ‘giver’ will inspire you no matter what faith you practice or what philosophy guides your life.”—Dennis Whittle, CEO, GlobalGiving “Gandhi, Jesus, King—in fact all of the greatest leaders in human history—lived and communicated the view that generosity can help us to discover life’s true riches. Dr. Malloch authoritatively guides us on a wonderful journey of discovery through areas we may initially think are foreign, but which we recognize with a sudden shock are actually our long forgotten home.”—Prabhu Guptara, author of Indian Spirituality “We must give as God gives. But joyful generosity infuses that message with a cheerful challenge to view every part of one’s life as something to be received gracefully from God and shared generously with others. This book is a way to start down that path.”—Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., archbishop of Chicago “In a world where information is confused with data, data with knowledge, and knowledge with wisdom, the voice of wisdom is rarely heard and the practice of putting wisdom into action is rarely observed. Ted Malloch’s observation of generous acts by people with sympathy and compassion is a precious account of the human spirit in a time when materialism, commercialism, and egoism feature prominently in the global community. It is a book of pure wisdom.”— Tu Weiming, Harvard-Yenching Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy and of Confucian Studies, Harvard University