Generosity and kindness doesn't mean that you give only
when you have lot or after fulfilling all your needs, but
in fact you can still give when you yourself is struggling.
Generosity literally means willingness and liberty in
giving away ones own money, time, talent and etc
sincerely without any personal gain as shown in the
following story.
Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village
collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh. During one of his
tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech
a poor old lady got up. She was bent with age, her hair
was grey and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers
tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place
where Mahatma Gandhi was sitting.
"I must see him," she insisted and going up to Mahatma Gandhi
touched his feet. Then from the folds of her sari she brought
out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Mahatma Gandhi
picked up the copper coin and put it away carefully.
The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of
Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Mahatma Gandhi for the coin but
Mahatma Gandh refused.
"I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh,"
Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly "yet you won't trust me with a
copper coin." "This copper coin is worth much more than
those thousands" Mahatma Gandhi said.
"If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two,
it doesn't mean much."
But this coin was perhaps all that the poor old lady possessed.
She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her.
What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin
more than a crore of rupees.
