The other evening I was watching a rather interesting
news program that profiled the "giving" and "charitable"
habits of Americans as researched by Arthur C. Brooks, author
of "Who
Really Cares," Professor of Public Administration and
Director of the Nonprofit Studies Program at Syracuse
University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
What really stood out about the interview was not just the
apparent evidence that suggest those who have less tend to
give much more (time and resources) but also an overwhelming
suggestion that those who give more, experience greater
prosperity and health.
Sounds to me like this research shows...
the true
gift is in the giving!
Interesting statistics from Arthur Brooks's website:
Giving supports economic growth and actually creates
prosperity.
Many studies show that giving and
volunteering improve physical health and happiness, and lead
to better citizenship. In other words, we need to give for our
own good. Cultural and political influences- and the many
government policies-that discourage private charitable
behavior have negative effects that are far more widespread
than people usually realize.
Upper level income people often give less than the
working poor.
Among Americans with above-average
incomes who do not give charitably, a majority say that they
"don't have enough money." Meanwhile, the working poor in
America give a larger percentage of their incomes to charity
than any other income group, including the middle class and
rich.
The working poor in America give more to charity than
the middle class.
The American working poor are,
relative to their income, some of the most generous people in
America today. The nonworking poor, however-those on public
assistance instead of earning low wages-give at lower levels
than any other group. In other words, poverty does not
discourage charity in America, but welfare does.
People who are religious give more across the board to
all causes than their non-religious counterparts.
There
is a huge "charity gap" that follows religion: On average,
religious people are far more generous than secularists with
their time and money. This is not just because of giving to
churches-religious people are more generous than secularists
towards explicitly non- religious charities as well. They are
also more generous in informal ways, such as giving money to
family members, and behaving honestly.
Additional highlights:
- People who give money charitably are 43 percent more
likely to say they are "very happy" than nongivers and 25
percent more likely than nongivers to say their health is
excellent or very good.
- A religious person is 57% more likely than a secularist
to help a homeless person.
It doesn't matter how
much you have. It doesn't matter where you live. It doesn't
matter how old you are, what color of skin you have, or your
IQ. What matters most is who really cares enough to
invest what they have (time and resources) to better the life
of another. What matters most is taking the time to think of
someone else more than yourself.
Be Kind. Share a Smile. Give the Gift of Kindness.
Article Resources:
Arthur
C. Brooks
Who
Really Cares
