MAGNANIM’ITY, n. [L. magnanimitas; magnus, great, and animus, mind.] Greatness of mind; that elevation or dignity of soul, which encounters danger and trouble with tranquillity and firmness, which raises the possessor above revenge, and makes him delight in acts of benevolence, which makes him disdain injustice and meanness, and prompts him to sacrifice personal ease, interest and safety for the accomplishment of useful and noble objects.
Having read now quite a number of the leaked cables exposing the underbelly of American foreign policy, I cannot help but be shocked at the great distance we’ve travelled from President George Washington‘s vision for American diplomacy to the pusillanimity that dominates the international political arena today. In President Washington’s famous “Farewell Address,” he described the ideal quite succinctly:
Observe good faith and justice toward all Nations; Cultivate peace and harmony with all. Religion and Morality enjoin this conduct; and can it be that good policy does not equally enjoin it? It will be worthy of a free, enlightened, and, at no distant period a great Nation to give mankind the magnanimous and too novel example of a people always guided by an exalted justice and benevolence.Who can doubt, that, in the course of time and things, the fruits of such a plan would richly repay any temporary advantages, which might be lost by a steady adherence to it?
Whatever is said about the rightness or wrongness of Mr. Assange’s disclosures via Wikileaks, we now have over 200,000 more specific reasons to realize that we have a long way to go before we live up to the standard set by President Washington.
So where do we start? Schools are a good place. Children, like nations, interact, form friendships, develop trading partners, experience conflict and so on, so the microcosm they live in provides a complete and relatively safe representation of what they will likely encounter later in life and on a larger scale.
The workplace is another field of tremendous opportunity. Pettiness only thrives in soil devoid of magnanimity. Pettiness needn’t be stamped out, rather, it must be displaced by a culture of peace, harmony, good faith and justice. Most importantly, there must be consistent representation of magnanimity by those in leadership positions.
What can you do to be more magnanimous? The more you are, the more those around you will be sorted out naturally (and without the need for judgment) as to who is with you and who is against you. It is that simple. A true friend responds favorably to your magnanimity, while those who are repelled by it are better off left to their own devices at whatever distant orbital they end up occupying in your atmosphere.
Let your life be one that is led by exalted justice and benevolence as you aim to achieve useful and noble objects. Anything less is not worthy of you. Anything less is not consistent with who you are at the core of your being.
Gregory Hake 
Washington is a great example of magnanimity. He was the leader in setting the example and shaping the character of our army during the American Revolution. For example he opposed vindictive actions to the Tories that remained in America after the war. It is thought that his magnanimous leadership prevented the type of bloodbath that occurred in France during it’s revolution. It’s also been said that the pettiness of the British generals was responsible for a major part of their failure.
A culture of peace, harmony, good faith and justice was the plan for our country since the beginning. Thanks for the reminder that our schools, businesses and homes can rekindle that quality of stewardship for our future.
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I was watching a webinar today on the science of blogging. One of the key points made was that people are more interested in reading about what is positive than what is negative. I was heartened by the speaker’s statement and the statistics which backed him up.
This is a beautiful post. I have always liked the word largesse as it reminds me of the importance of generosity of spirit and being a “big” person , but I think my new favorite word is magnanimous!
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Honestly I felt charged with a grand commission with just the definition of magnanimity. You could have signed off there but I thoroughly enjoyed the entire post!
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Very kind. Thank you.
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This is a great thing to aspire to, and thankfully, the only thing that is holding anyone back from being magnanimous is themselves. Regardless of status, wealth, or any other outside influence, you can become magnanimous this very moment. Don’t be a pre-ghost Scrooge, but be the kind of person who will provide for the interests of those around you before your own.
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That’s funny. I was thinking of Scrooge when I wrote this.
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Love this:
“What can you do to be more magnanimous? The more you are, the more those around you will be sorted out naturally (and without the need for judgment) as to who is with you and who is against you. It is that simple. A true friend responds favorably to your magnanimity, while those who are repelled by it are better off left to their own devices at whatever distant orbital they end up occupying in your atmosphere.”
Thanks!
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My pleasure, Mac.
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Great post! I was first introduced to the word magnanimous in the fifth grade way back in 1970. My teacher’s name was Mr. Miceli. We nicknamed him the Magnanimous Mr. Miceli. We were proud of our new vocabulary and our teacher. Jeanne
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Great story. I’m sure your teacher loved the name!
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