The Sixth Sense

Reclaiming our Humanity: Greed vs. Generosity

Today we embark on a journey into our imagination. We set out with a simple yet bold ambition: to reclaim our humanity. We are all part of a unique species. Human beings. But what does it mean to be fully human? To be all that we can be. 

One thing is abundantly clear. We are not living out our full humanity. We don’t need to be rocket scientists to figure that out. So much darkness permeates our world. Greed. Hate. Anger. Selfishness. Lust. Apathy. Fear. The list is endless. One wonders even whether we have any idea, or even any way of knowing, what it means to be fully human again.

This five part series is geared to hopefully trigger us at least setting out on the journey. To try and reimagine what it means to be the kind of people who embody all that is good. People who live out and fulfil our potential.

Each week we will explore one theme and seek to embrace one new journey that may just help move us back towards reclaiming our humanity. This week it is greed vs. generosity.

So, to jump straight in, here’s what I think. If the trajectory of our lives is orientated towards greed then the type of person we are becoming is increasing less human. Inhumane. Un-human. But, if our lives are aligned with a pathway of generosity then we are on course to become someone who is human in the fullest sense.

Here we have a problem though. How many of us will put our hands straight up and say, ‘Yeah, I admit it, I’m greedy’? We look at others around us who are more greedy and use them to justify ourselves. This is not good!

If we cannot reach a point of owning the reality of where we are, then it is impossible to change course. It’s like looking at a map and saying we need to go ‘there’ without having any idea of where you are now. To change our trajectory we need to know where we are.

If we are going to move towards a life of generosity, we have to identify the areas of our lives that are on a trajectory towards greed. And then, and only then, can we realign with a pathway towards a life of generosity.

It is vital that we go practical with all this. Greed and generosity are terrible when only theorised about. We all would agree that generosity is the noble path to choose. But what does it actually mean to be generous? How do we practice a life of generosity? What does it look like?

And, on the counter-side, how to we own up and call some of the practices in our lives greedy? We need to be specific about this. We can’t base this on others who may be ‘worse’ than us. We need to ruthlessly root out each and every trace of greed in our lives. Name them, own them, reject them, and choose to embrace new, generous practices.

Questions to think about:

Why is greed bad? We need to think about this from a micro through to macro level. What harm does greed cause in our own lives? But, not only this, how does greed damage our world on a more global level?

What makes generosity something good? Again, we need to think about this through from a micro through to macro level. Is it just something ‘nice’ to do or is there more going on?

What are some practical choices we can make today that we can start to implement which will put us on a pathway of generosity? We should break this down into our time, talents, and resources. (Generosity is not all about money, though that is part if it.) Who could we be generous towards? 

What are the areas of our lives where we know we are maybe susceptible to greed? (Food. Money. Clothes. Technology. Gadgets…)

What do you think?

Tags: Life, Reclaiming our Humanity

Reclaiming our Humanity - An Introduction

Beginning next week I am going to be embarking upon a five part series here at The Sixth Sense. The theme will be “Reclaiming our Humanity”. The plan will be to post once a week on a different topic within this theme and then - hopefully - have a conversation that will spill out throughout the rest of the week.

Here’s just a selection of some of the questions that I hope to explore through this series:

• What does it mean to be human?
• Is the trajectory of our lives moving us towards becoming more or less human(e)?
• How do we become ‘more human’?

To put my cards straight on the table, I come from a background and faith community whereby Jesus has been held up as the model human being. I have often been hugely frustrated by how segments of the church have represented Jesus, but I am still personally amazed, challenged, and inspired by the life Jesus lived, his passion for people, and the humanity he embodied.

So, for me, I cannot authentically speak about other spiritual leaders who others of you may hold up in the same way I might Jesus. But please don’t let that stop you bringing your perspective to the table. I enter into this journey both as a learner and a teacher.

Here’s what I think. If more and more people become more fully human as we were originally designed and wired to be, then the world will become a better place. And that’s good for us all. If just some of us end up grappling with what it means to be human, to reclaim our fullness as human beings, and start to look for ways to help others find their full humanity again, then imagine what a difference that could make.

Can I ask for your help with all this? I may be biased, but I think this would be a great conversation to invite friends, colleagues, neighbours, cyber-buddies, etc into. The more people who join in this conversation the better.

So what I’d love for you all to do is share this post with your friends who you think would enjoy or benefit from the conversation. Post this as a link on Facebook. Forward it to them via email. Do whatever you’re comfortable with. Spread the word!

Any thoughts, comments, or questions?

Tags: Jesus Christ, Life, Reclaiming our Humanity