The paramitas develop love which takes one beyond the personal. It is the view which sets one free, the deep insight that seer, things seen, and the act of seeing are interdependent and one, that subject, object and action cannot be separated. The actions are liberating because they bring a recognition of the ultimate nature of mind. If one only fills the mind with good impressions, that would of course bring future happiness, but it would not go beyond the conditioned. With the view of the oneness of subject, object and action, whatever is undertaken for the benefit of others will bring the doer timeless benefit.
Generosity opens up every situation.
The world is full of spontaneous richness, but no matter how good the music is, there is no party if no one dances. If no one shares anything of themselves, nothing meaningful will happen. That is why generosity is so important. At Buddha's time, people were much less complicated than today. They also did not have amazing machines working for them.