Each month, a member of the board will share a reflection on the Soul Matters monthly theme. The theme for November is Generosity. This month’s post is offered by Brian Zais. 

The first thought that comes to mind when I think about the word generosity is the face-value definition: the giving of oneself or one’s resources freely without expectation of a direct payback.  But the proposed new Article II of the UUA’s Bylaws, Principles, and Purposes adds some context and expanded meaning as the word applies to us as UUs:

Generosity. We cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope.
We covenant to freely and compassionately share our faith, presence, and resources. Our generosity connects us to one another in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.

What’s the difference?  Let me explain using a personal experience.

My family and I traveled to Australia in 2010.  I was on a work trip to lead some training in the General Mills plants there.  Karen and the girls (Sydney and Jordan had just turned 9 years old) came along.  We were staying in a suburb of Sydney, Australia.  The first day I went to work, Karen and the girls left to do some sightseeing in Sydney down by the harbor.  They didn’t have a car, so Karen did some research and devised a fantastic plan for them to take a public ferry boat from our suburb down the river to the harbor.  She learned she could purchase the round-trip ferry tickets from the conductor once they were on the boat.  They found the dock, boarded the ferry, and were halfway down the river when she learned that the ferry transit system was unable to accept credit cards that day for some reason.  She had just enough Australian cash on her to pay for one-way tickets for the three of them, but not enough to pay for round-trip tickets.  They ended up by the Sydney harbor with no cash and no way to get back to our hotel.  Because this was the era before we carried electronic maps in our pockets (and before options like Uber), Karen called me at work, and I did a search for her to find an ATM near her location.  However, the streets in downtown Sydney are dense and winding, and Karen couldn’t find the ATM I had identified that would take our bank’s card.  She called back and we decided I needed to drive into Sydney in my rental car to pick them up.

I explained the situation to my work colleagues at the plant.  I told them I needed to rescue my family because they didn’t have any cash or transportation.  The Operations Manager from the General Mills plant, a man I had met only a few hours earlier, promptly took out his wallet and pulled out every last dollar he had in cash, probably about $100.  He handed me the money, telling me it was to cover us until we could find an ATM, and he said to pay him back when it was convenient.  He knew I was flying out of the country in a few days, and he had no basis to trust that I was a good credit risk other than we worked for the same company, though half a world apart.

This act might not fit the traditional definition of generosity.  After all, he was expecting to be repaid.  It might have more appropriately labeled kindness, or benevolence, or helpfulness.  But by the words of our proposed Article II, it fits well into generosity.  It gave me a spirit of gratitude and hope.  As a somewhat jaded American, I was a little shocked that a man I barely knew would trust me, a relative stranger, with all of his cash.  It improved my outlook and faith in humanity.  And it certainly helped connect me with this man, and his fellow countrymen and women, in a relationship of interdependence and mutuality.  We’re all in this together and need to help each other out.  I left the plant with a happy spirit and a smile on my face and was successful in retrieving my family.  And yes, I paid him back.

Actively practice generosity.  Not just giving your time or money or donations, though do that, too.  But make sure you are cultivating a spirit of gratitude and hope, and use your generosity to connect to others in relationships of interdependence and mutuality.  And maybe pack a little extra local cash on your next excursion in a foreign country, just in case.

— Brian Zais

UUCM Board of Trustees Member