Words About Learning: Generosity

I’ve been working with a group of NGOs today, exploring aspects of Social Learning. One thing that’s apparent in this space is generosity: a sharing of ideas, of resources, of spaces and networks. Generosity is core to Social Learning, learning which is founded upon communities, reliant upon each other to be successful.

We are mislead into believing that ‘generosity’ is about giving things away: it’s not, it’s about freeing yourself up, of sharing and, in return, being shared with. The more we give away, the more we get back, but not in a case of immediate reciprocity: the returns we gain are offset in time and space. The payback is a community within which we are a valued and engaged member, and a community to which we can turn when we need help or support. Generosity is a small price to pay for that.

Words about learning is an occasional series of blog posts written when jet lagged, stuck in airport lounges, or simply giving myself a permission to write short but sweet.