BEFORE SPEAKING OF GIFT SIZES, Ms FRENCH GATES…

In an interview with The New York Times, French Gates was asked what she thinks about the approach to philanthropy shown by the new generation of “billionaire activists” — like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, and PayPal founder Peter Thiel.

“Well, the people you just named have not been very philanthropic yet,” French Gates replied. “They use their voice and they use their megaphones, but I would not call those men philanthropists.”

“..But go look at their record of actually giving money to society. It’s not big,” she added with a laugh.

Gift size is secondary, though.

First, a giving, or a gift, a pure gift, is that which is not annulled by what would be called a counter gift, the gift has to be sent in such a way that it does not come back immediately, even though we are brought up in the space where we say ‘thank you’ immediately upon receiving gift — and, as soon as we say ‘thank you’, we give back huge part of the whole gift.

Therefore, in order for a giving to occur, ‘I’ must not be the one to give. A gift has to be like grace, it has to fall from the sky. If there are traces of origin of the gift, there is no gift — there is an ‘I’ give, which also signifies: say ‘thank you’, even if ‘I’ don’t ask the other to say it.

When then, do I give? I give when ‘I’ accede to transparency (as in clear water) but without disappearance, because otherwise it would be a Devine gift.

The gift has to arrive at its destination. For where there is a gift, there has to be reception — the reception has to be equal to the gift, there has to be an equal generosity of reception, (the given must truly be in need of the gift and they must generously accept the gift).

So giving is quite rare, is it not?