Why is it so easy for some to give so much and so difficult for others to give so little?
Abundant is a feature-length documentary film about the complex, human experience of giving. To fully understand giving, Abundant enters the world of extreme altruism. And there are no more extreme altruists than non-directed living kidney donors. These rare individuals give a kidney away to a complete stranger. It’s all risk, no reward. Or is it?
Abundant features true stories of non-directed kidney donors recorded live on stage at the performance art show CrowdSource for Life. Their stories illustrate the unimaginable impact of extreme giving. It’s obvious their kidney donations saved another person’s life, but there is so much more involved.
Insights from experts from the worlds of economics, spirituality, business, the arts, psychology and neuroscience, frame and explain the altruistic psyche. In his interview for Abundant, Buddhist monk Bhante Sujatha described giving with a literal translation from his Sri Lankan language, Sinhala. In Sinhala, giving means, “It leaves my hand.” That’s a clear, simple and elegant concept. Yet so many of us struggle with the genuine act of giving and the abundance required to give openheartedly.
Through stories, commentary and experiences, Abundant explores how our culture struggles with abundance and what we can do to become more altruistic as a community.
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Sunflower, an ancient symbol of abudance in Native American culture.
Bese Saka, an ancient West African symbol of abundance.
Deer, a symbol of abundance in ancient Chinese and Native American cultures.
Surrounded by Abundance
It’s an old story. Thousands of years old.
A group sits by an open fire. It’s keeping them warm. It’s cooking their food. By the firelight, an elder tribe member begins to tell a story. These spoken words talk about images we all know.
Such symbols help us understand the world around us. The spoken word passes on meaning and truths about our lives. Symbols of abundance remind us we live in a world of plenty.
Today, we have more available than spoken word stories and symbols. In our Information Age, we have easy access to the stories of extreme altruists as examples to follow. These rare givers remind us of the value of selfless giving and the abundance in our world.
And the most extreme altruists are non-directed living kidney donors. Who are they? They gave a kidney away to a complete stranger.
Click here to meet Abundant’s cast of extreme altruist living kidney donors.
Surrounded by Abundance
It’s an old story. Thousands of years old.
A group sits by an open fire. It’s keeping them warm. It’s cooking their food. By the firelight, an elder tribe member begins to tell a story. These spoken words talk about images we all know.
Such symbols help us understand the world around us. The spoken word passes on meaning and truths about our lives. Symbols of abundance remind us we live in a world of plenty.
Today, we have more available than spoken word stories and symbols. In our Information Age, we have easy access to the stories of extreme altruists as examples to follow. These rare givers remind us of the value of selfless giving and the abundance in our world.
And the most extreme altruists are non-directed living kidney donors. Who are they? They gave a kidney away to a complete stranger.
Click here to meet Abundant’s cast of extreme altruist living kidney donors.
Sunflower, an ancient symbol of abudance in Native American culture.
Bese Saka, an ancient West African symbol of abundance.
Deer, a symbol of abundance in ancient Chinese and Native American cultures.
About Living Kidney Donation
Kidney disease is one of the most complex medical issues facing our society. The skyrocketing rate of kidney disease, the enormous annual cost of dialysis and the human suffering of end stage renal disease are the face of America’s kidney deficit. While complex problems require complex solutions, experts agree that increased awareness about living kidney donation is a broad solution that can trigger widespread positive change.
Abundant is proud to partner with The National Kidney Donation Organization as a resource for guidance and information about living kidney donation. NKDO provides experienced mentors to answer questions, explain resources and demystify the living kidney donation journey.
Abundant is committed to cultural competency. Abundance means abundance for everyone. A stunning racial disparity exists in the world of kidney donation. Statistics show white persons are four times more likely to receive a kidney transplant than an African American person. This is the case despite African Americans having higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure than other racial cohorts. Those are the health conditions that put people at further risk for organ failures. Additionally, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans, have more than double the likelihood of receiving a kidney transplant than African Americans. Once a person is on the kidney wait list, equity is assured. It’s documented and verified. The problems the cause the racial disparity in kidney transplant occur before a person reaches the waitlist. Many roots of this equity problem are the same systemic and cultural issues we see in our other institutions. The racial disparity in kidney donation and cultural competency are addressed in Abundant.
If you are interested in learning about living kidney donation, please click the bottom below for a connection to the National Kidney Donation Organization.
Commitment to Abundance
We Still Need Your Help!
Abundant is funded by the generous support of individuals, organizations, and businesses. We graciously thank our supporters for their part in making this film a reality.
You can see our supporters here.
We still need your help to bring Abundant to the film festivals and the largest audience. Individuals can make tax deductible charitable donations and businesses can get involved as corporate sponsors to help with our distribution and marketing efforts. Please help us get Abundant in front of the largest audience possible.
“Be Joyful About Your Generous Heart”
Please view this video from Abundant’s esteemed lineup of experts. Each has made an important contribution to the film‘s insighful examination of the power, impact and experience of giving. They took a moment to give thanks to our financial supporters who have made this film possible.
CrowdSource for Life - September 23, 2023, Dallas Texas
A news story by WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth covering CrowdSource for Life was picked up by ABC and Tenga affiliates across the U.S. following the 9/23/23 stage production.
Abundant in the Media
Through the production of CrowdSource for Life and Abundant, our project has received media attention and news coverage. Media interest has centered on the fascination with extreme altruism and the emotional subject matter of the documentary. Follow the link below for news coverage of Abundant.