Giving away

It's amazing how easy it is to think that generosity for organists doesn't pay off. After all, we face so many obstacles along the way from the clergy, from the listeners, and even from our colleagues. Especially from our colleagues.

Clergy doesn't understand and appreciate our good intentions about our art and the quality we seek. Listeners are often unresponsive and want only to be entertained. Our colleagues might be envious, angry and toxic.

And in the face of all this we decide that the best way forward is to hide our art and our ideas. They are not worthy of our efforts, we think. It's not worth banging our head against the wall of mistrust and lack of education.

Lack of education?

But what if we actually turned this around? What if we decided to do something about it. Yes, you have this itch, too. Not in a grandiose way that feeds our resistance helps us hide. But in a way that could be done, something small and doable.

We are education. We don't need a permit for that. And your pastor wouldn't mind.

Sharing is education. Posting a video lecture or two. Overcoming shame, trusting your vulnerability, and putting your work into the world. Spreading an idea that's remarkable.

Great ideas attract other great ideas.

And so the act of generosity is a gift not only to the receiver but to the giver as well.

Like that farmer at the end of the day in a farmer's market. What exactly will he do with all that's left unsold?

No, we don't need to be a genius PhD scholar nor a computer geek to do it.

What we need is to care.