Being Generous
Through the ages, the world’s cultures and great religions have in profound, though different, ways sought to answer the big question: how should we live? Part of the answer has to do with how we ought to treat others, particularly those who are most in need. Ample evidence suggests that giving selflessly to others lies at the heart of what it means to be a thoughtful and moral human being. In Being Generous, author Theodore Roosevelt Malloch leads an exploration of this important concept of generous giving.
He begins by examining how generosity fits into the various spiritual traditions, philosophical schools, and economic systems. Further chapters illustrate how generosity need not always be about money, showing how it might also involve the sharing of time and talent. Elsewhere, Malloch explores the science behind generosity, looking, for example, at the relationship between various chemicals in the brain and generous behavior. Beyond the theory and the science of generosity, readers will also find a wealth of inspiration in a collection of profiles of past and present icons of generosity.
Being Generous concludes with a practical action plan that lays out concrete steps to guide readers toward lives of greater giving.
Theodore Roosevelt Malloch, PhD is an international expert on governance, strategy, and business. A former Professor and Senior Fellow in Management Practice at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and Henley Business School, Dr. Malloch previously served as a research professor at Yale University.
He is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Roosevelt Global Governance Group, a leading strategic management and thought leadership company. He has served on the executive board of the World Economic Forum (DAVOS); has held an ambassadorial level position at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; worked in senior policy positions at the US State Department and US Senate; and worked in capital markets at Salomon Brothers on Wall Street. He has experience on many corporate, mutual fund, and not-for-profit boards, including universities, charitable trusts, and foundations.
Dr. Malloch earned his PhD in international political economy from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Arts from Gordon College, and an M.Litt. at the University of Aberdeen on a St. Andrews Fellowship. He has written extensively on the nature of the virtuous enterprise, the practices of practical wisdom, the pursuit of happiness, and the virtues of generosity and thrift. His new book, coauthored with the retired chairman and CEO of Cargill, is Common Sense Business.
Foreword by John M. Templeton Jr., MD / xi
Preface / xv
Introduction xix
1: Generosity: A Universal Moral Urge / 3
- The Pew Family / 7
- Calouste Gulbenkian / 13
- Wafic Rida Saïd / 19
- Li Ka-shing / 27
2: Charity and Gift / 30
- The Maclellan Family / 33
3: Stewardship Spirituality / 36
- Sebastian Spering Kresge / 41
- George Cadbury / 47
4: Time, Treasure, and Talent / 49
- William Wilberforce / 51
- Johann Sebastian Bach / 55
- Felix Mendelssohn / 59
5: Generosity and Economics / 61
- J. C. Penney / 63
- John Walton / 67
- Henry Ford / 71
- Eli Lilly / 73
6: Generosity and Science / 75
- Jeffrey Skoll / 77
- John Templeton / 79
- John D. Rockefeller / 85
- Gary Ginter / 89
8: A Generous Society / 93
- Andrew Carnegie / 95
- Joan Kroc / 97
- Mother Teresa / 99
9: Generosity and Purpose in Life / 103
- Bill and Melinda Gates / 105
- Warren Buffett / 107
- Oprah Winfrey / 109
- Michael Bloomberg / 111
10: Final Thoughts / 114
- Arthur Blank / 117
- C. S. Lewis / 121
Appendix A: Twenty-one Books to Read on Generosity / 125
Appendix B: Real Life Stories of Giving to GlobalGiving / 129
Appendix C: About GlobalGiving / 139
Notes / 141
