Book Ponder

Generosity Isn’t All About Money

Generosity can come in all shapes and forms.  Many individuals blame their inability to be generous because of financial struggles, but generosity isn’t strictly based on money.  We can also be generous with our time. 

Helping a friend move, being there for someone who needs a friend.  Next time someone asks for help, offer up your time, and you will be surprised how useful you can be without spending a penny. 

When Emerson and friends started a magazine called “The Dial” he relied heavily on acquaintances he had built throughout the years.  Emerson had a reputation for being generous and always helped write letters of recommendation, setting up authors with publishers, and opening the doors to his home to those in need.  When he was in dire need of contributors for his magazine he relied heavily on these same individuals, and they repaid the favor.  Early issues of The Dial are filled with works from Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and many others that Emerson had been generous to throughout the years.

Your Good Deeds Will Be Rewarded

On July 24, 1872, Emerson’s home caught on fire.  His neighbors rallied together to try to save his notebooks, books, and prized possessions.  Late into the night books were being thrown out the second-story window as the firefighters put out the slow-moving fire.  Once it was concluded that the house would have to be rebuilt, the community repaid Emerson’s generosity once again.

“The house would have to be rebuilt. Emerson had inadequate resources; he still debated heavily on lecture fees for living expenses. But thousands of dollars were raised now in Boston, Cambridge, and Concord to help the man and his family who had helped so many others.”

(Richardson, 1995)

Emerson’s lifelong generosity was a part of his character, and he never expected anything in return. That is most likely why it was paid back tenfold in his greatest time of need.

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Book Ponder focuses on the incredible power of reading, and even though stand-alone articles like these are unique ideas, I like to credit any books that inspired or gave me the resources for the idea.