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On feeling connected - by Henrik Karlsson

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Erich Fromm has a nice observation in The Art of Loving when he talks about what it means to give. He says that many people think of giving as giving up: you have less than you had before. He calls people like this “unproductive.” They only give if they think they can receive a favor in return. Then there are people who are actually generous—they are committed to serving others. But they see it as a sacrifice: it is painful to give, and this pain is, in a sense, what makes it valuable. “I will give of my time and energy and potential so that my baby can grow. Shouldering responsibility makes my life feel meaningful, and I want it to be hard at times; that makes me feel good about myself.” I’m basically quoting myself here; I often think about giving in this way. And seeing giving as a sacrifice is a step up from the full zero-sum thinking of the “unproductive.” But there is a deeper level still: people who think of giving as an act of potency. When I give of myself, when I genuinely ca

On feeling connected generosity is potency Henrik Karlsson Oct 10, 2024 319 22 59 Share Jerry Uelsmann, Untitled , 1966 An earlier version of this post was published on the waste book on September 5. Erich Fromm makes a useful observation in The Art of Loving when he talks about what it means to give . He says that many people think of giving as giving up: you have less than you had before. He calls people like this “unproductive.” They only give if they think they can receive a favor in return. Then there are people who are actually generous—they are committed to serving others. But they see

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