Last Updated on March 13, 2021 by Magdalena Zwolak
There are many generous people out there. And yet very serious problems continue to threaten all of us.
We face global survival issues: poverty, the environment and terrorism. With the lives of billions of people in the balance, quite possibly including our own, we cannot afford business as usual.
We need to give more.
So how much?
Americans already give 2.2 percent of their personal income to charity*, one of the world’s highest amounts.
*Source: Giving USA, individual and household giving for for 2005 (most recent data available), also the 40 year average percent of giving
That’s great, but I believe we should give even more, at least 5 percent. And wealthier people can consider giving much more.
I’m a big believer that those who receive more benefits from society, even if their own hard work is a major factor, should also give back much more. My personal opinion is also that income tax should be much more progressive, not less as it’s become in recent years.
What do we get when we give?
As in the Bible book of Proverbs:
A kind man benefits himself…
Good comes to one who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.
Doing good lifts up a nation…
One gives freely, yet gains even more…
Taking it further
So maybe the more we give, the more we gain.
You can donate now
Some say, “Give until it hurts.” I think we should go even further: Let’s give until it doesn’t hurt 🙂 Let’s practice being generous individuals and a generous nation until we get really, really good at it…
If we give more to the most pressing issues, we gain in satisfaction and peace of mind, even as we help create a safer, more sustainable, better world for ourselves, our children and future generations.
Here’s one way you can make a difference: