Giving to Give, Not to Receive: My First Principle of Moral Education

We no longer give to give, but for the promise of what we will receive. We have become an America of transactional exchanges and self-serving gestures. Even the act of charitable giving has taken somewhat of a capitalistic undertone as we give our time and participation hoping to receive recognition, reward, and sometimes even a tax break.?

Last weekend marked the 15th Annual Asha-Jyothi Run and the 5th year since we’ve partnered with Fairfax County Public Schools. Yesterday at Waxpool ES, we hosted the check ceremony where we awarded the 33 participating schools with grants to support their educational programs and recognized our dedicated volunteers. Being part of this coalition of selfless individuals was a humbling experience.?

I never feel a sense of interconnectedness and happiness with the world than when I am volunteering with AJ. The lifelong friendships I’ve formed, my understanding and appreciation for diversity, the gratefulness I’ve felt every day of my life for the basic privileges I possess - everything fosters an ultimate sense of belonging and purpose in my global community outside of contributing to GDP.

As much as I want to say that I am a naturally altruistic person, I admit that I too would’ve fallen prey to the same capitalistic mindset if not for my family who exposed me to the importance of social conscience and volunteering at an early age. I too would’ve grown up never knowing the immeasurable fulfillments gained from selfless giving, and I would’ve never taken it upon myself to discover these feelings as an adult.?

As David Brooks (fellow UChicago alum!) wrote in his seminal piece, “Why America Got Mean”, modern-day society lacks moral education. Children are altruistic by nature, yet by the time they grow into adults, these qualities that once existed in abundance go unused and forgotten. We educate our children in the arts and sciences hoping to raise a generation of well-rounded future leaders; but we don’t teach them how to be compassionate citizens, how to care for those around them, and how to construct emotionally fulfilling lives. We don’t give them an outlet to express their kindness and experience a full range of emotions, ultimately leading to a brilliantly unhappy population.

Just as we enroll our children in school and sports, I urge parents and teachers to build their own structures of moral education to cultivate altruistic habits. You may not see the value now, but their lives - like I know mine is - will be substantially different and considerably happier because of it. And I encourage everyone to practice minor acts of giving just to give, not to receive, in their everyday lives. I share this message because moments like this matter. What we emphasize now will matter in our future. Finding ways to practice moral education creates belonging, maybe with that we can put an end to the loneliness pandemic…