A short chronicle of philanthropy throughout the centuries

A short chronicle of philanthropy throughout the centuries

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We may tend to have a rather cynical view of humankind, but there is a long history of generosity that it is essential to identify.

It is very easy to feel a bit disheartened about the nature of humankind, especially when we look at all the wars and dreadful deeds that have actually filled the history books and, certainly, continue in the present time. However, what often does not make it into the history books or the news headlines is all the good deeds that people have actually done throughout history and continue to do today, working to make the world a better place for everyone who resides in it. Certainly, records of these deeds date back to the very dawn of civilisation as we know it. In fact, the philanthropy meaning that we utilize today to describe famous philanthropists today came from among the world's earliest civilisations, Ancient Greece. It is also rather telling just how widespread generosity and generosity was, as it wasn't simply used to define wealthy and generous benefactors as we tend to do today, but rather somebody who loved people and did things to better the condition of others. It was also held to be a crucial and central virtue, something that is most likely just as true today, countless years later.

You might hear about the excellent deeds of conquerors and kings, but it is the important things that you don't tend to become aware of in the history books that are maybe more vital; neighbours helping neighbours and communities gathering to assist those in need. This is the way that charity has actually been carried out for numerous years, long before extremely rich benefactors or the foundations that they set up arrived. Philanthropic businesses like charities and foundations were, however, an extraordinary important innovation towards the closing of the 19th century, when the more ordered mode of charitable work made it possible for individuals to devote more resources to larger problems in a more effective method. Today, a big range of people and organisations are involved with funneling resources from places where they are focused to locations that they are needed, with business like SJP developing foundations in addition to rich people.

It's easy to be dismissive about the state of the world, however there are particular trends that are putting the enhancement of the world before things that have actually had a certain corrupting influence in the past. One such example is the increase in corporate philanthropy. For a long time, charity was something that tended to be done by individuals, but today business are actually making contributions to a much better world a central part of their company strategy. Whether it's through collaborations with charities or their own Environmental and Social Governance initiatives, services like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are contributing to an area that does a lot more excellent than merely making bigger revenues.