Inner Practice Series: Secret Acts of Virtue
It is unexpectedly fun to plan and do nice things in secret for other. Once we take on the task of doing something nice or needed for others, but anonymously, we begin to look around for new ideas, and the possibilities begin to multiply.
All religions and spiritual practices value generosity. The Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive. There are two forms of charity in Islam: obligatory giving to take care of the poor and orphaned, and voluntary giving, such as endowments or scholarships. Obligatory giving purifies the rest of one’s earnings and is considered a form of prayer or worship.
Voluntary giving in secret is said to have seventy times the value of public giving.
Our personality is cobbled together out of many strategies for making others love and care for us, for getting what we want, and for keeping ourselves safe.
We bask in positive recognition, for it signals love, success and security. This task of giving with anonymity helps us look at how willing we are to put the effort out to do good things for others if we never earn credit for it.
Practice: Each day for a week, engage in a secret act of virtue or kindness. Do something nice or needed for others, but do so anonymously. These acts can be very simple, like washing someone’s dishes that were left in the sink, picking up trash on the sidewalk, making an anonymous donation, or leaving chocolate on a coworker’s desk.
