Things That Work / All who are hungry come and eat!

Generosity starts when you open the door.

There’s a dramatic moment in the Passover seder, in which we open the door and declare, “let all who are hungry come and eat!” ... Whatever your religion, I pray that the Jewish model inspires you. 

- Michael Rothbaum

What would happen if we took our generosity beyond ritual and made it our way of life? What if our political will was focused on systemic change to create a fair and just society?

There are solid reasons behind systemic change that benefit all of us.

According to the World Bank, Social protection systems help individuals and families, especially the poor and vulnerable, cope with crises and shocks, find jobs, improve productivity, invest in the health and education of their children, and protect the aging population.

You might not know it from our politics, but the United States is the third most generous country in the world, behind Indonesia and Kenya. That's according to the Charities Aid Foundation. Their report provides insight into the scope and nature of giving around the world by examining three aspects of giving behavior. The questions at the heart of the report are: Have you done any of the following in the past month? 

• Helped a stranger, or someone you didn’t know who needed help? 

• Donated money to a charity?  

• Volunteered your time to an organization?

Our politics set tribes against each other. We have politics driven by scarcity, fear, hate, sexism, xenophobia, grievances, homophobia, nationalism, and white supremacy. Politicians are adept at personal attack and character assassination. But what would happen if we discussed differences based on policies instead of personal attack?

To have generosity of spirit is to act with kindness, to be open and willing to share with others without any expectation of receiving something back in return. It means to celebrate the success and efforts of others without envy or resentment. -Wellington College Apr 27, 2020

Systemic racism and discrimination against the poor are the antitheses of the generosity of the spirit. More about this is made clear in the book of Proverbs.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more;

    another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.

A generous person will prosper;

    whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.

—Proverbs 11:24–25

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

    and he will reward them for what they have done.

—Proverbs 19:17

 

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor

    will also cry out and not be answered.

—Proverbs 21:13

The righteous care about justice for the poor,

    but the wicked have no such concern.

—Proverbs 29:7

A system that is based on respect for the other, is based on listening first, based on empathy instead of sympathy, based on action over words, based on helping over taking charge.

Hate the system that made your brother evil. It is the system we must destroy.
- Clark V. Poling