Like all things in the modern-day world, philanthropy has changed a lot since its birth numerous thousands of years back.
It is very easy to feel a bit disheartened about the nature of humanity, particularly when we look at all the wars and awful deeds that have actually filled the history books and, undoubtedly, continue in the present moment. However, what frequently does not make it into the history books or the news headings is all the kind deeds that individuals have done throughout history and continue to do today, working to make the world a better place for everyone who lives in it. Indeed, records of these deeds date back to the very birth of civilisation as we know it. In fact, the philanthropy meaning that we use today to describe famous philanthropists today originated in one of the world's earliest civilisations, Ancient Greece. It is also quite telling just how prevalent kindness and generosity was, as it wasn't just used to define rich and generous benefactors as we tend to do today, however rather someone who really loved people and did things to better the condition of others. It was also held to be an essential and central virtue, something that is probably just as true today, thousands of years later.
You might become aware of the excellent deeds of conquerors and kings, however it is the things that you don't tend to hear about in the history books that are maybe more important; neighbours assisting neighbours and communities gathering to assist those in need. This is the way that charity has been carried out for many years, long before very wealthy philanthropists or the foundations that they set up arrived. Philanthropic businesses like charities and foundations were, nevertheless, an extraordinary essential innovation towards the end of the 19th century, when the more organized mode of charitable work made it possible for individuals to devote more resources to larger problems in a more effective method. Today, a big variety of individuals and organisations are involved with carrying resources from places where they are focused to places that they are needed, with business like SJP establishing foundations as well as rich people.
It's easy to be dismissive about the state of the world, however there are specific patterns that are putting the enhancement of the world before things that have had a rather corrupting influence in the past. One such example is the rise in corporate philanthropy. For a long period of time, charity was something that tended to be done by people, but today business are actually making contributions to a better world a main part of their company plan. Whether it's through collaborations with charities or their own Environmental and Social Governance initiatives, organizations like Morgan Stanley and Vanguard Group are contributing to a location that does a lot more good than just making bigger revenues.