The word generosity stems from the Latin gener (which gives us words like genus, gender and genius) and is associated with the concept of a "type" of something; a collective, a race, a clan etc.
Interestingly, the Latin word generÅsus (noble by birth) came to England via the Old French word genereux. Historically, the word "generous" has been associated with nobility in the sense of blue blooded, aristocratic lineage.
However, as is the dynamic wont of language, somewhere along the line during the 17th century, people started using the word generous more in terms of spirit than birth--albeit still as a descriptor of character traits associated with those who were high-born-- an open-hearted abundance, a philanthropic benevolence, a sense of fairness and justice, bravery, valour, caring, giving and so on.
Generosity thus became a personal quality; an aspirational ideal of virtue and nobility; a moral orientation; a strong rejection of selfishness and greed. It evolved to the extraordinary ability of some people to do good and freely share their bounties with the world.
As a soft skill, generosity is what I call our giving gene. It makes us share ourselves, our time, our abilities, our things, our wealth or our knowledge freely with those who need or want it. It is a state of being that extends us, makes us bigger, happier, more forgiving, more tolerant... just more than we are.
People who are either born with this generosity of spirit or those who learn it from life are more satisfied with their lives simply because they are not bound by things. They are not afraid to give of themselves and their stuff and don't sweat the small, petty stuff.
Thus, they are open-hearted. They trust and they have compassion and they share and connect easily to other people without fear or insecurity or expectation or blame or despair.
The best leaders, the best teachers, the prophets and philosophers we revere are all characterised by this wonderful soft skill.
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