The Generous Spirit

I recently learned about a relative doing something so extraordinary that it made me reconsider the choices we make. It is in moments like these that you realize there are those around us who practice benevolence, selflessness, graciousness, altruism, and compassion every day without ever giving a second thought to doing what they deem is right.

There have always been people who follow a moral and ethical code, the most extraordinary example having occurred during World War Two. Some non-Jews could not tolerate what was happening to their Jewish neighbors and took it upon themselves to hide Jews, save them by providing forged travel documents, rescue them from deportation to the camps, and do anything else they could to prevent the mass slaughter of the Jewish people. These people who risked their own lives to save others became known as Righteous Gentiles. Of the nearly nine million Jews living in Europe before the Holocaust, it's believed that six million perished in the Nazi genocide. Thousands, if not millions more would have also died were it not for the courageous intervention of a few world leaders and thousands of individuals who risked their lives to save Jews from the gas chambers. Many of them paid for their heroism with their lives.

Good moral character comes in all forms, from major acts of valor to quiet behind-the-scenes gestures that few notice other than the beneficiaries. And that is where people like my relative come in, doing something unexpected that redefines kindness. This family member lost her husband of many years. It was devastating for her, and you would have thought that lifelong close friends would have gathered around supporting and caring for her. That's what dear friends do, right? Yet quite the opposite occurred. They stayed away, as though they might get the plague if they came near. Only one friend came to her aid, a friend who helped her get through one of the most difficult times of her life. Fast forward several years. The best friend of the widow's husband passed away. Rather than treat the new widow as she was treated, my relative came to her aid, sitting with her, taking her on walks and errands, in short, doing whatever she could to ease the woman's pain. She never thought twice about helping; it was the right thing to do.

When you start recognizing goodness around you, all of a sudden, you begin remembering witnessing other such acts of decency, character, and morality.

Several years ago, a colleague at work walked into the office wet from the rainstorm and wearing flip flops, which was highly unusual for that time. I noticed and asked her if there was a new dress code I didn't know about. She said there wasn't and she planned to buy a more office-appropriate pair during her lunch. She saw the confused look on my face and sat down on a chair in my office to explain.

"I put on my blue flats this morning to wear to work. As I pulled out of my garage, the rain started to come down hard. I drove through it, and at a traffic light, I saw a homeless woman standing on a curb without any shoes. She was in pretty bad shape. I pulled over to the curb, got out of the car, took off my shoes, and handed them to her. She needed them more than I did. When I got to the office, I took out this pair of flip flops I keep in the trunk for emergencies."

My colleague didn't hesitate for a moment to help a stranger in need. If that isn't the purest form of a generous spirit, I don't know what is. These stories remind me that every single one of us is capable of being a hero, or simply doing good for another less fortunate when the need arises. In this new world where divisiveness reigns and people are more interested in casting blame and turning from one another, we could all do with being generous spirits and helping to make this place we call home a better place.




Till next time,

Jeffree Wyn

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