22.4 Social Obligation

 22.4 Social Obligation

Question:

Is there an example for offering valuable help at the expense of giving away everything? 

Answer:

The wealth of a philanthropist who is a genuinely magnanimous person is

like a medicinal tree.                                                                                   (Couplet – 217) 

மருந்தாகித் தப்பா மரத்தற்றால் செல்வம்

பெருந்தகை யான்கண் படின்.                                                                          (குறள் – 217)

 

Explanation:

If a medicinal tree in which every part of the tree, including its roots, bark, flowers, fruits, seeds, and leaves, are all useful for medicinal purposes, people would harvest all parts of the tree, and the tree would no longer exist. Similarly, the truly magnanimous philanthropist would distribute all his wealth until there is nothing left to give. This type of philanthropy is like the "Spend Down Foundations" in the USA. In a Spend Down Foundation, all the assets are spent for the intended purposes, and once the assets are depleted, there is nothing more to give. This type of philanthropy can be called the "Medicinal Tree Model of Philanthropy."