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benevolence - Word of the Day - Thu Sep 26, 2024

Myr

Entry posted by Myr in Word of the Day

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benevolence -(n) - the quality of being well-meaning; kindness.

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The community was touched by the mayor’s benevolence, as he personally ensured that every family received aid during the crisis.

 

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Bill W
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The word benevolence come from the Latin word benevolentia, meaning a favorable disposition or good will toward others.  The word's roots can be traced back to the Latin words bene (good) and velle (to wish).  

The first use of benevolent was between 1425-1475, the Late Middle English period.  

Edited by Bill W
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Bill W
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Some early benevolent societies in the US were The New York Orphan Asylum, The Free Creoles of Color (or Afro Creoles), as well as other groups geared toward Afro-Americans, especially after the ending of slavery.   More recent benevolent societies would include The Red Cross and The Lion's Club.  

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Bill W

King Henry VIII wasn't known for his benevolence, especially with people who opposed his will or stood in his way, including his wives.  

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sandrewn

I've taken the three entries of Bill W and classified them as, good, good and not a nice person.

Once again it was change the site name and get the same old, same old. So I chose Wiktionary, no frills, boring and basic.

benevolence - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

This entry is a bit dated, some of the names and amounts have changed, I'm sure. It does my heart good knowing that the following 20 listed, have had/are having a positive affect on millions upon millions in the world.

The 20 most generous people in the world | World Economic Forum

Even if not named, we all know the names of those who are the opposite of those listed above.

 

:cowboy:

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drpaladin
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1 hour ago, sandrewn said:

This entry is a bit dated, some of the names and amounts have changed, I'm sure. It does my heart good knowing that the following 20 listed, have had/are having a positive affect on millions upon millions in the world.

The 20 most generous people in the world | World Economic Forum

Even if not named, we all know the names of those who are the opposite of those listed above.

 

They certainly give away lots of money, but it doesn't really cost them anything. It doesn't lower their standard of living, and for the most neither their heirs. Some is self aggrandizing and to promote their own agendas. They do get generous tax breaks.

So I don't consider most as particularly benevolent. Some I would even classify as malevolent. But it's just my opinion.

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drpaladin
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This calls to mind a marvelous short story by Frederick Forsyth, A Careful Man. In it a wealthy English man finds out he has a terminal disease. He wants to leave everything to charity, but he knows his greedy and litigious relatives will drain the estate with legal fees and then there are the death duties. His solution is ingenious. 

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Bill W
9 hours ago, sandrewn said:

The 20 most generous people in the world | World Economic Forum

Even if not named, we all know the names of those who are the opposite of those listed above.

 

:cowboy:

I found it interesting to notice the names that WEREN'T on this list.  Missing in action were some of the wealthiest people currently living:  Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch  family (Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence) members of the Walton Family (Jim, Rob, and Alice), Jacqueline and John Mars (Mars candy), Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt (Google), and Jan Koum (WhatsApp) - to name a few of the Top 50 from the Forbes Top 400 Listing.  They may be benevolent, but I would have thought more of them would have been in the 20 most generous listing or this additional Forbes Listing https://www.forbes.com/top-givers/#3d52b85a66ff.  

The top four US states with Billionaires is: 1) California, 2) New York, 3) Florida, and 4) Texas - no surprises there!  

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drpaladin
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13 minutes ago, Bill W said:

I found it interesting to notice the names that WEREN'T on this list.  Missing in action were some of the wealthiest people currently living:  Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch  family (Lachlan, James, Elisabeth, and Prudence) members of the Walton Family (Jim, Rob, and Alice), Jacqueline and John Mars (Mars candy), Sergey Brin and Eric Schmidt (Google), and Jan Koum (WhatsApp) - to name a few of the Top 50 from the Forbes Top 400 Listing.  They may be benevolent, but I would have thought more of them would have been in the 20 most generous listing or this additional Forbes Listing https://www.forbes.com/top-givers/#3d52b85a66ff.  

The top four US states with Billionaires is: 1) California, 2) New York, 3) Florida, and 4) Texas - no surprises there!  

Well, you have to take into consideration those on the list are making a big production out of and shouting, "Look at me!" The others may well be giving, but more under the radar. In that case, the only ones who know for sure are the tax man and their accountants.

The big production thing was started by John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie. It was good PR back then and still is today.

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