While doing some research on related topics, I stumbled upon a great website, “In Character – A Journal of Everyday Virtues” (www.incharacter.org)    An on-line publication, each issue examines a single virtue from different perspectives, bringing together scholars and journalists versed in public policy, the humanities, religion, and the sciences. 

As all of us try in our own way to bring the Afghanistan Water Polo team to the U.S., it sometimes may seem like a hill too steep to climb.  At those times, we can benefit from insightful and thought-provoking perspectives, “fostering a deeper appreciation of these virtues within our communities, our families and ourselves.”

The current issue examines the virtue of Grit, which may be very relevant to a quest such as ours and is definitely worth reading, but I chose to share some thoughts on Generosity, a virtue common among our volunteers.

The following is excerpted from editor Christine Rosen’s notes in the Spring, 2006 issue focusing on the nature of Generosity:

What is generosity?

The word can be used to describe everything from bestowing millions of dollars on a favorite charitable cause, to tithing in church, to the everyday act of tipping. But a generous person need not give only money; donating one’s time or expertise to others, with no expectation of reciprocity, is also generous. Self-help books abound with advice on becoming a more generous person and cultivating an unselfish approach to life. Business books advise managers to create a generous work environment where the sharing of ideas is encouraged. And in the wake of natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, national leaders call upon citizens to give generously of their time and money.

Like many virtues, generosity is difficult to measure. We can tally the amount of money sent to a given charity, or the number of hours spent volunteering for a cause, but defining with precision what, in fact, generosity is creates more of a challenge. The Harris Interactive survey we conducted in April revealed that most respondents named the home as the place where generosity begins, and 79 percent of respondents felt that generosity should be offered first to those living in their immediate community.

“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present,” Albert Camus wrote in The Rebel. But as Carol Sargeant describes it, generosity – as practiced in the everyday acts of kindness and care that are a necessary part of raising a family – is the greatest and most generous investment in the future, even if it often goes unheralded and unrecognized by the wider world. For those who have adopted children, as Sargeant shows, the experience of welcoming a new person into the family offers unique and joyful moments of generosity on a daily basis.

As the diverse essays in this issue suggest, generosity is a virtue difficult to define and measure. We’d like to think that we are all generous by nature, of course, but we tend to recognize generosity most keenly when it is absent, as it is all too often in our impatient and often selfish society. Our hope is that the ideas in this issue will encourage readers to think more broadly about what generosity is and can be. Cultivating generosity on a regular basis might be as simple as offering to aid a neighbor or giving up your seat to someone on a crowded bus. It need not mean giving millions of dollars to charity. It is a virtue that requires patience and selflessness; but it is also one that can easily be practiced by each of us, every day, in some small way.

—Christine Rosen  

 North Coast Church Sports Highlight: Afghanistan Water Polo 08/20/2009 - North Coast Church Sports Highlight: Afghanistan Water Polo How does a guy from Fallbrook end up as the head coach of the Afghanistan National Water Polo Team?

 Marine works to get Afghan polo team an Olympic splash  08/17/2009 - Norfolk, VA: Marine reservist Jeremy Piasecki went to Afghanistan to teach Afghan officers how to handle personnel tasks....

 PRI's "The World" perspective on Afghanistan                  08/12/2009 - Afghanistan isn’t just choosing a new president this month. It’s also selecting a new Olympic team. The World’s Aaron Schachter spends time with some of Afghanistan’s would-be water polo Olympians....

 Afghanistan Water Polo is on Blog Talk Radio                   08/04/2009 - Listen to Afghanistan Water Polo speak on this week's episode of Talking Water Polo at the Planet with hosts Trevor and Coach Dave...