Self-reflection

The Ki of Cooperation Conversation series was created to provide a space for people to explore different aspects of cooperation and address issues that could create disharmony. Our goal is to foster creative conversations around difficult and complex topics, allowing participants to feel good about themselves even when faced with opposing viewpoints. By putting cooperation front and center, we aim to invite collaboration over competition and move away from a win-lose mindset.

People demonstrate generosity in myriad ways, from gifts of time and money to everyday acts of kindness toward loved ones—and even to deeds that involve substantial self-sacrifice, like donating a kidney to a stranger. But we are often nowhere near as generous as we could (or even aspire to) be. In short: although we have the capacity to be generous, we don’t always act generously. The John Templeton Foundation did an extensive study of “The Science of Generosity,” answering many important questions.

Generosity with self is no small feat. We can be more dedicated to giving to others and overlook the importance of tending to our own needs. Generosity with self is essential to transform, especially through our ITP practice. In this essay, Pam Kramer describes her take on the topic.

Generosity with another can take place in everyday situations. In my experience, generosity in relationship to another affects both of us. It happened on my boxing team.

Michael Choy explains how his “excessive volunteering” is deeply connected to honoring his father. In an effort to become more balanced, vital, and healthy, he poses some questions for all of us.

Affirmations are one of the most potent practices that ITP offers. They can be a powerful vehicle for transformation. Affirming generosity can come in many forms and offer many enriching benefits.

On the face of it, one could think that generosity is directly opposed to the survival instinct. Isn’t thinking “me, first” a major part of survival, and isn’t survival what every thought and action boils down to? This is pretty basic stuff. Why, then, bother being generous? Why give away one’s money, wisdom, and most precious of all, time, to anyone or anything else? Why does generosity, in its purest sense, feel so good?

With our minds, we think, we reason, we learn, we imagine, and we dream. We strategize, make decisions, and set intentions and goals. Through the capacity of self-reflection, the mind provides a sense of personal history and continuity to our lives, the sense of being ourselves… We discern truth from falsehood. We set our intentions for who we want to be in the world and what we want to accomplish in life.