We may tend to have a rather negative view of humankind, but there is a long history of kindness that it is essential to recognise.

It is easy to feel a bit disheartened about the nature of mankind, particularly when we look at all the wars and dreadful deeds that have actually filled the history books and, certainly, continue in the present time. However, what often does not make it into the history books or the news headings is all the good deeds that individuals have done throughout history and continue to do today, working to make the world a better place for everyone who resides in it. Indeed, records of these deeds go back to the very start of civilisation as we understand it. In fact, the philanthropy meaning that we utilize today to describe famous philanthropists today came from among the world's earliest civilisations, Ancient Greece. It is also rather telling simply how common kindness and kindness was, as it wasn't just used to define rich and generous benefactors as we tend to do today, however rather someone who cherished people and did things to better the condition of others. It was likewise held to be an essential and central virtue, something that is most likely just as true today, countless years later.

You might hear about the terrific deeds of conquerors and kings, but it is the important things that you don't tend to find out about in the history books that are possibly more crucial; neighbours assisting neighbours and communities pulling together to assist those in need. This is the way that charity has actually been carried out for many years, long before extremely rich benefactors or the foundations that they set up arrived. Philanthropic businesses like charities and foundations were, however, an incredible essential development towards the conclusion of the 19th century, when the more organized mode of charitable work made it possible for people to commit greater resources to larger issues in a more efficient method. Today, a substantial variety of individuals and organisations are involved with transporting resources from places where they are concentrated to locations that they are needed, with companies like SJP developing foundations as well as wealthy people.

It's easy to be dismissive about the state of the world, but there are particular trends that are putting the improvement of the world before things that have actually had a certain corrupting influence in the past. One such example is the increase in corporate philanthropy. For a long period of time, charity was something that tended to be done by individuals, but today business are actually making contributions to a much better world a central part of their company strategy. Whether it's through collaborations with charities or their own Environmental and Social Governance initiatives, companies like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are contributing to an area that does a lot more great than merely making bigger profits.