Be careful not to become a greedy person. Whether it is greed for money, power, or praise, I think greed challenges our ability to share. Greed hijacks our sense of fairness, demanding a zero-sum game where winners take all and losers are impoverished. Normal people respond to a vast imbalance by giving because they are overcome by basic human emotions like compassion, guilt, or shame. But not the person who is consumed by greed. They are not normal. Their continuous pursuit for more is a perverted need that can never be satisfied, fails to deliver real joy, and invites the scorn of others. Greed leads to corruption, manipulation, lies, bullying, and lawlessness. The greedy person will say or do anything to satiate their craving for more. And then they become paranoid that others will take from them. Only a truly sick person needs to horde billions of dollars, seeks dictatorial powers, and requires a constant stream of praise and recognition. Sadly, I’ve just described the current president of our country.
Donald Trump finally acknowledged that he is not going to heaven. Any true Christian knows this. For starters, he encourages and enjoys cruelty, he finds it impossible to give to others, he can’t tell the truth, and revenge (not forgiveness) feeds his soul. He’s like the rich man who went away sad because he couldn’t bring himself to give his riches to the poor as Jesus asks of His followers. Jesus told his followers that it is far more blessed to give than to receive. And the Bible warns us that the love of money is the root of all evil. Trump is a walking and talking example of evil.
In a country led by Trump, we can decide to be a blessing to others instead of being greedy. The opposite of greed is generosity. Everyone wins when we are generous with our money, our time, our praise, and our power. I learn so much from the senior citizens at the Active Adult Center. Everyone I’ve met there is a giver. The ladies I knit and crochet with are among the most generous people I have ever met. I’m inspired by how they bless each other with small kindnesses in the form of advice, health check-ins, drives to the doctor, food, affirmations, and even crocheted pumpkins.
Last week, one of the ladies in our group gifted each of us a cute pumpkin she crocheted. The adorable pumpkin and the time and thoughtfulness behind it warmed my heart and made me smile. That joy I felt upon receiving the handmade pumpkin inspired me to crochet pumpkins to gift my kids, next door neighbor, and local service providers. I took the idea even further and baked small loaves of pumpkin bread and banana nut bread to expand my gift. As I gave them out, I was blessed to see the joy on the faces of my neighbors, my dentist’s receptionist, my two manicurists, and the staff members of the Active Adult Center.
These are some of the pumpkins I crocheted.
Beyond making gifts, the daily act of being a blessing to others takes the form of unsolicited sincere affirmations, a friendly greeting to others, small acts of kindness, a well-manicured front yard, good grooming, listening, pretty Christmas decorations, and of course giving to those in need.
As our government wastes our tax dollars to further enrich the wealthy, brutally kidnap brown and black immigrants, run concentration camps, blow up fishing boats in international waters without due process, bail out Argentina, fund presidential golf trips, and build a $300 million dollar ballroom at the White House, being a blessing means taking the time to express our disapproval and to demand better of our lawmakers.
But we may also need to dig deeper into our pockets as yesterday millions of Americans lost their SNAP benefits because Republicans refused to tap into the reserves during this shutdown. This shutdown is about preventing millions of people from losing their healthcare to skyrocketing premiums because the subsidies are set to expire. Thousands can’t afford housing. And even more are facing a crisis when it comes to paying for rising food, insurance and utility bills.
Charity begins at home. So, I urge my followers to check in on family members, neighbors and friends to ensure they are okay and help where you can. Then give as generously as possible to food banks and other organizations that stand ready to help those in need. Our small donations add up and inspire others to give as well.
In reality though, it may take reports of long food lines, medical bankruptcies, and stories of people dying to spark the compassion, guilt or shame in the ultra-wealthy who aren’t completely consumed by greed. However, we cannot wait for them to do their part. Our human decency, our joy, our peace of mind, and our need for community demand that we act to help each other. As we give, my sincere hope is that the wealthy who get the biggest tax breaks will be moved to do their part.
I know that there are many wealthy people who are not greedy like Trump. But too many of them are in fact a little greedy because the wealthy among us have the ability to end poverty if they were willing to give more or if our leaders were willing to levy fair taxes on them. We’ve learned over time that “trickle-down economics” doesn’t work because the funds rarely trickle down; they get horded instead, making the rich, richer.
Our job is to pressure our lawmakers to act on behalf of the American people, not just the wealthy. Journalists have the responsibility to expose the suffering that triggers compassion, guilt, and shame among those with more than their fair share. No matter what, I’m determined to practice the art of being human by experiencing the connection, joy, and fulfillment of giving to others. I’m determined to be a blessing because generosity is more beneficial than greed. Generosity strengthens the community and feeds the souls of both the giver and the receiver. The greedy person will never experience this joy nor find satisfaction. They drain society and contribute to pain and suffering.
Jesus was right that it is far more blessed to give than it is to receive. All that is required is that we listen to our heart and the giving will come easily.