Charity makes you happy. Or as Aristoteles called it: doing good deeds make you feel “eudaemonia”. You get what you give.
I believe that there is a balance between sharing and receiving. You are only worth what you can provide as I stated before. All this is about the value you provide and the value you are worth to get in return. Providing value can be sharing and teaching others, it can be to inspire and to make people happy. But the most concrete way to share is charity.
A ton of research shows that giving and charity makes you happy. A report from Harvard I read the other day, “Feeling good about giving (and the costs)” clearly shows that all research points to the fact that happy people give, and gets even happier from giving. It relates to both donations, deeds and charity work. But beware that the effect will be reduced if the reason for giving is selfish and to make yourself happy.
My charity contribution goes through “Better Globe”. I donate water and funds to support schools (through Child Africa) and microloans in Africa. In order to compensate for my climate footprint and to support the war against the spreading desert in Africa I also donate trees. Furthermore I also invest in trees. Better Globe is doing a fantastic work in Afrika, and both children and adults now have a much better life in the areas affected.
This makes me proud. And that is what charity is all about for me, to make me feel proud. Why do you think that all the celebrities are engaged in charity? Because they have to? No, because it makes them proud and happy. Charity makes you happy. The have the funds to make a difference and take the opportunity to make something good that benefits themselves just as much.
My long term plan is to be able to go down to Africa and help them for a month every winter.
What is Better Globe?
See my page about them here: Better Globe
Take care, and care for others
/Peter
