Religious folks must be surprised! For centuries they have held the belief that religion is the strongest (and perhaps the only) catalyst that inspires charity.
Well, study after study has revealed that the young are less religious than previous generations and that the number of the faithful is diminishing. In fact, many millennials are not religious at all.
Yet, there are so many ways besides religion to inspire generosity – for example, reading Emily Dickenson’s poem, “Not in Vain:”
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain.
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
That vision of compassion is universal, not selective. Thus when we too wish to lessen suffering, shouldn’t we unburden our minds of deism or secularism and all the other “isms,” and just let the light of compassion guide our hearts to make us generous in offering help to as many of our fellow creatures as we can?
– David Quintero
MONROVIA
