137. Philanthropy, and Sustainable Intention

As some of you know, I am now in the last half of second book of Nancy J. Turner’s two book set, Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge.  These books address the Northwest Indigenous cultures of North America.  Comparatively, in terms of Indigenous cultures, these tribes and clans were wealthier than almost any other Indigenous people of any continent in all of earth’s history.  They had many resources that made life and living far easier compared to many other Indigenous people.  Their wealth was so abundant that tribal leaders and those who gathered wealth gave it away generously to those with less.  Yes, social status accrued to this generosity — and that was a good thing.

The “Why?” of their wealth was readily apparent.  “Why be wealthy?”  The answer lies in the purpose of leadership and the meaning that leadership provides for their cultures.  The connection between the acquisition of wealth, leadership, purpose and meaning are positively linked to the benefit of their society.  It provided a model to leaders of future generations that is quite remarkable.
 
What is not so obvious are the values of that generosity.  Those values conform perfectly to the three core values of social sustainability, (quality of life, growth and equality).  This generosity aided the quality of life of the recipients; it supported the recipient’s growth within that culture; and, it did so equally, and often extended to neighboring tribes.  This historical piece by Dr. Turner provides us, today, with a model of sustainable philanthropy and generosity that can be easily adapted to the wealthy in prosperous contemporary societies.  What is required is that the giving and receiving of generosity MUST support the three core values of social sustainability, and be given and received so that the three value-emotions of empathy, compassion and “love” are also fulfilled.  Begrudging generosity is a highly detrimental social model that will inevitably come back to bite the giver.  Spitefully receiving these gifts with a hardened heart will also come back to bite the receiver.
 
Remarkably, such philanthropy, in order to become a sustainable model of generosity, must be made voluntarily, and based upon the initiative and leadership of the philanthropic community.  Leadership as this could make a remarkable impact upon the attitude of the broad public of developed democracies.  It would begin balancing the egregious disparity of social equity and social justice to provide both an answer to today’s problem of great wealth and its rational distribution.