On Generosity by Thich Nhat Hanh

The author of the below excerpted article is Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese buddhist monk,writer and peace activist.He is a prolific writer who was an outspoken opponent of the French,and later American presence in his homeland.Exiled from Vietnam for several decades due to his faith and political views; Nhat Hanh writes eloquently of the need for us to live simply and with a deep appreciation of everything and everyone that is around us.He encourages us to savour each moment of this life as well as to reach out to others who are in need.
I recognize that some christians have a problem with other christians who acknowledge those of different faiths as being an inspiration in their lives.I would respond to this by saying that there are common threads which run through many of the world's religions.Love,peace,the sanctity of life and the need for altruism are a few that come to mind.There are people who don't share my faith but have deepened mine through their writings and lives.Thich Nhat Hanh is one of those people.
"The feeling of generosity and the capacity for being generous are not enough.We need to practice our generosity.This takes time.We may want to help others to be happy,but we are caught in the problems of our own daily lives.Sometimes one pill or a little food could save the life of a sick or hungry child,but we may think we do not have the time to help.It costs only about twenty cents to provide both lunch and dinner for a poor child in many countries.There are many simple things like this we can do to help people,but we do nothing because we think we cannot free ourselves from our busy lifestyles."(Taken from the book Interbeing by Thich Nhat Hanh).
Nhat Hanh touches on something we will address more in future articles,that many people have lost control of their lives.They've fallen into a lifestyle that has shut out their dreams,aspirations, and ultimately, their humanity.