Mrs. Blanco, an Aragonite woman living in Catalonia, was widowed in middle age, without children, and decided to dedicate the rest of her life to helping those who needed it most. With a generous heart, she opened a soup kitchen in her home, where every noon she received those who were in need, especially passers-by. Many helped her in this task, and everything was done with great joy since the basis of everything was generosity.
However, one day one of the diners asked her: “How much do we charge?” To which Mrs. Blanco, surprised, replied that they did not charge anything. The man’s reaction was a sneer as if he could not believe what he had heard. This gesture left Mrs. Blanco with a deep reflection, who understood that such a poor person could not be generous. Generosity, in its true essence, requires that we have something to give: be it our time, our wisdom, our affection or our material goods. Only when we are aware that we have something valuable to offer can we truly be generous?
It is important to remember that generosity is a free and creative act. “Free” because we do it without expecting anything in return, without the intention of obtaining thanks or recognition. If we pursue these goals, we are no longer acting generously but rather buying a kind of reward. And “creative” because generosity has the power to transform reality, to create a new reality of fraternity, unity and mutual support.
However, generosity must also be calculated. It is not about giving more than we can offer, as this could compromise our very existence. At the same time, we must not fall into the error of calculating so strictly that we become stingy, incapable of giving what we truly can. Generosity requires an appropriate balance for it to be sustainable and genuine.
Finally, we must never confuse generosity with pity. Pity is often a selfish feeling that seeks personal relief by seeing the suffering of others. An example of this is illustrated by a conversation with a person who, in moments of sadness, dedicated himself to visiting sick people to feel better by comparing himself to their situation. This type of attitude is not generosity, since it does not seek the well-being of others, but rather its own consolation.
Generosity, in its true form, is an altruistic action, which comes from the heart, which seeks the well-being of others and which has the power to transform both the giver and the receiver. It is an act of pure love, which must be free, calculated and, above all, never confused with pity.
