Be generous GIVE & YOU SHALL RECEIVE!

Dr Mark Fabian explains generosity isn't just good for others – it's good for you too

- By Dr Mark Fabian

Society is built on generosity. This is one of the main lessons of the Take a Hit game, which I (an associate professor of public policy) play with my public policy undergraduates every year. I ask eight of them to form an orderly queue so that they cannot see the chest of the person in front of them. I ask them to each hold a hand to their chest, either clenched as a fist, for 0, or with a finger up to indicate that they want chocolate. I walk down the queue noting who wants chocolate. They all get a piece as long as at least three people in the group asked for 0. They took a hit so that the other members of the group might prosper. There are so many aspects of social life that are characterised by Take a Hit dynamics. For example, child rearing.

The kindness economy