56: Happiness and Companionship

"No one can have a happy life if he looks only to himself, turning everything to his own advantage. If you want to live for yourself, you must live for another..."

This week, I am reading from Seneca’s Moral Letters, published in 65 AD.

Reflection questions:

• How do we view a donation?  Is it simply money for our organization’s advantage?  Or, do we view it as a bid for connection from the donor?

• Is there an area where we letting technology replace relationships and companionship with donors? 

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Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

Transcript

Welcome back to this podcast where we focus on the wisdom of generosity, from ancient to modern.  If you find these five minute reflections on being a person in the beautiful space where generosity occurs, please share this podcast in your fundraising networks. And, if this is the first time joining us, don’t forget to go back to previous episodes for the rich insights. And, be sure to subscribe to this weekly podcast in your favorite podcast app.

This weekend, I was hiking in an area near Glacier National Park.  Amid the majestic beauty of the mountains, we started talking about generative AI, artificial intelligence.  The discussion turned to the idea of what it means to be an embodied human, connected in community to others. One of my friends reminded us that even today we still look to ancient wisdom from centuries ago to understand what it means to be human and in relationship with each other.  So, this week, I am reading from Seneca’s Moral Letters, published in 65 AD.  

Quote

"No one can have a happy life if he looks only to himself, turning everything to his own advantage. If you want to live for yourself, you must live for another. This sense of companionship links all human beings to one another; it holds that there is a common law of humankind, and if carefully and reverently preserved, it contributes greatly also to the maintenance of that other companionship I was speaking of, the one within a friendship. For he who has much in common with a fellow human will have everything in common with his friend.”

Unquote

As technology continues to progress, each person will have a choice.  To create a world intricately designed in our own tastes, desires, and wishes through AI relationships and machine learning.  Or, a choice to be happy by living for each other.  Through generosity, donors have an opportunity to build that a sense of companionship that links all human beings to one another. And, that is where we through our nonprofits and missions can build the beautiful space of companionship, kindness, and generosity.  

Let’s reflect on two questions this week:

How do we view a donation?  Is it simply money for our organization’s advantage?  Or, do we view it as a bid for connection from the donor?

Is there an area where we letting technology replace relationships and companionship with donors? 

Share this podcast if you enjoy these five-minute reflections and subscribe to receive these reflections released every Monday. To explore fundraising coaching deeper, visit Serving Nonprofits dot com. See you next week.