Fostering Generosity - Lessons for Men

In what ways has your life been blessed by the generosity of those who have cared for you? In what other ways has your life been stunted by the lack of generosity of those who should have cared for you? What parts of your nature and your behavior are generous? What shadows (things you deny, repress or hide about yourself) prevent you from being a more generous person?

Generosity is one of the core values of the ManKind Project. Our full list of values is below.nn * Accountability – We do what we say we will do, and don’t do what we say we will not do. We take responsibility for our actions, our thoughts and our feelings.
* Authenticity – We tell the truth about who we are. We strive to be our best selves.
* Compassion – We empathize, connecting to the suffering of others, and we act with love in the world.
* Generosity – We recognize that giving of ourselves from our abundance brings more for all. We take on missions of service in the world and work together to make a positive difference.
* Integrity – We live our values. We seek wholeness.
* Leadership – We step forward in our lives to offer compassionate leadership, seeking understanding and community rather than domination or oppression.
* Multicultural Awareness – We recognize that in our world it is imperative that we be able to live in harmony with people who are different than ourselves. We strive to understand ourselves and others and to celebrate our differences.
* Respect – We pay attention to the impacts of our actions on others and we treat others with honor.

Thus, each initiated man will be asked to include generosity in his quest for a mission that is true to himself and his world.

Each man, each person, carries within the seed of generosity. The word itself derives from the Latin generosis, of noble birth. Thus, the generous man is one who cares for his world and everyone in it.

Much of the New Warrior Training Adventure implies generosity. To be “of noble birth” is to recognize the energy of the king, or the one who protects and exerts leadership.

The generous man is one who takes his rightful place in men’s councils, neither dominating nor hiding. The generous man is one who speaks the truth as he understands it, caring for those who may disagree but speaking courageously and forthrightly nevertheless. The generous man seeks the greater good, sometimes placing his own private wishes aside if need be. And the generous man is open in spirit, willing to learn, to grow, to stretch beyond the narrow confines of his own previous prejudice. The generous man is willing to look in the mirror, to see the truth of what is reflected there, and to commit himself to lifelong growth.

The opposite of the gold of our true and good natures is the shadow that inhibits our growth from becoming the men we are meant to be. What are the shadows that prevent you from being a generous man? Perhaps it was an important adult who withheld love and affection, or the painful experience of being generous and finding yourself punished for it. Maybe you have learned to be cautious and reserved because much is safe in your world that is not always safe. Whatever its source, the shadows that inhibit you from a spirit of generosity can be cast adrift, once you know and recognize them.

The New Warrior Training Adventure gave you a glimpse of how to grow in the core values. The initiated man can now look forward to becoming a more generous man, giving of himself to a world that badly needs men of strength and character.