By Judie Donaldson

Have you ever heard of “the generosity economy”? I hadn’t until I became familiar with Buddhism. It’s pretty darn impressive. Let me explain.

In the Buddhist community, learning about the Buddhist philosophy and principles is a central activity. Needless to say, then, Buddhist teachers are valued. And can you imagine this? They don’t charge a fee for their teaching because generosity is a central tenet in Buddhism. Teachers share their knowledge from their heart and out of generosity, and students, if they wish, can express their appreciation by making a financial gift. So, hmm. I guess that’s not such an unusual principle and isn’t a particularly a big deal, is it?

That may be true, but hold on. Travel with me to this next step. Can you imagine being a teacher and making your livelihood in this way––not having a guaranteed income and trusting in the generosity of others to have enough money to pay your bills and have a decent quality of life? No salary. Just other individuals like yourself making contributions.  It’s very personal. I know of a number of teachers who are dependent on and ­­––here’s the key––who trust “the generosity economy” to live their lives in this way. Just sit with that for a few minutes! I can’t imagine it.

It has occurred to me that in a somewhat different way, Carquinez Village is also dependent on “a generosity economy.”  Just as generosity is a central tenet in Buddhism, it is for the Village as well. We are dependent on the generosity of volunteers to give their time to serve others. Our volunteers are at the heart of everything we do. Quite simply, Carquinez Village wouldn’t exist without them.

While providing a service to another is not directly a financial exchange, it is an exchange and a significant one. Let’s face it. Making a choice about how we use our time is making a choice about how we live our life. I just heard someone say something that I found profound. She proposed that, “The most important thing to do in life is find out what is most important.”  Yes, how we use our time is illuminating.

One of the upsides of living in the United States is the Horatio Alger, rags-to-riches belief in the American dream and our faith in the unlimited opportunities of our capitalistic system. A downside is our culture of competition and greed and our self-centered society.  Because most of us have been raised with these values, it can be difficult to imagine a more communal form of life that includes a “community caretaking” value system. But, a five-minute conversation with an anthropologist or a sociologist could deepen our understanding in a flash, and a five-minute volunteer assignment at Carquinez Village might just be transformative.

I think that we’re compensating as a society by intentionally constructing a community caretaking system, and that this is what appeals to our volunteers. So, I asked a few of them and wasn’t surprised when they said that they adhere to the principal that, “It takes a village.” Some said that they’ve been doing this all their lives.  “It’s just what you do as a part of being human,” advocated one volunteer. “You help one another.” Another said, “I almost feel guilty because I get so much from meeting and supporting seniors in our community. It gives my life meaning.” More than one person said that they loved Benicia and wanted to do their part to contribute­­––particularly to helping seniors in need. Meaning, community, giving back, and people helping people. It’s that simple. It’s the “generosity economy” at work.

Carquinez Village is not the only nonprofit organization that is making community caretaking possible. There are many opportunities to serve others in Benicia. We’ve even learned to build “service learning” into our kids’ school curriculum.

From my perspective, concentrating only on ourselves and our needs becomes boring and shallow after a while. I volunteer as a driver for the Village, and it is always a breath of fresh air to focus on someone else. Besides, my overworked ego is getting a break!  If you haven’t volunteered like this, you’re missing out. Try it.  At Carquinez Village, you can decide from a long list of volunteer activities, anywhere from making friendly phone calls to doing some gardening.  And it’s up to you how much or when you volunteer.  No pressure. It could be once in a while or more often, if you’d like.

Gosh, I didn’t start out to sell you on volunteering. It just happened. My enthusiasm “runneth over”! Really, volunteering is a no-brainer. You know the research, don’t you? People who are generous are usually happier. So, do something good for yourself. Talk with one of our volunteers or volunteer coordinators. Just call 707-297-2472.

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