'Give...and you shall receive'
-Anonymous
How do you define giving?
A gift is the transferring of something without the need for compensation. It is a voluntary act requiring nothing in return. Even when, socially, it involves expectation or reciprocity, be it in the form of prestige or power, a gift is meant to be free.
Voluntary…what is it? It means of our own, free will.
What have you given to the world? What have you given to others? To life?
Selfishly (or many thereof) you may have lived for yourself, for self-gratification, in order to ‘enjoy life to its fullest’. In other words, you may have been but an immature child.
In some Asian countries giving has become a form of art. Just the act itself, the unselfishness involved, and the sacrifice made has even become a fundamental part of Buddhism.
It is curious, that even when we recognize we should give expecting nothing in return, our very human nature sets us to think of how we will directly or indirectly benefit from the act.
There are those who think that somehow the universe is connected, and the energy you spend (or send) you will receive back. Is it really so? Who knows, and discussing these beliefs goes beyond the scope of this blog, at least for now.
Some others believe that you give, and you perform acts of good, and you won’t necessarily get something good back.
Why would we complicate our lives thinking about such things? Why will we trouble ourselves with such trivialities?
Give…
Give your knowledge…
Give yourself…
And only expect back the gratification that you are doing the best you can for others. Just realizing that you had the power to hold something back, yet you decided to become part of all that is good, and that your contribution helped make a good thing will be the best reward you get.
Lesson learned: ‘A boomerang rewards you by not returning when it hits the desired prey. If it returns it accomplished nothing, it may be aiming for your head.’
A gift is the transferring of something without the need for compensation. It is a voluntary act requiring nothing in return. Even when, socially, it involves expectation or reciprocity, be it in the form of prestige or power, a gift is meant to be free.
Voluntary…what is it? It means of our own, free will.
What have you given to the world? What have you given to others? To life?
Selfishly (or many thereof) you may have lived for yourself, for self-gratification, in order to ‘enjoy life to its fullest’. In other words, you may have been but an immature child.
In some Asian countries giving has become a form of art. Just the act itself, the unselfishness involved, and the sacrifice made has even become a fundamental part of Buddhism.
It is curious, that even when we recognize we should give expecting nothing in return, our very human nature sets us to think of how we will directly or indirectly benefit from the act.
There are those who think that somehow the universe is connected, and the energy you spend (or send) you will receive back. Is it really so? Who knows, and discussing these beliefs goes beyond the scope of this blog, at least for now.
Some others believe that you give, and you perform acts of good, and you won’t necessarily get something good back.
Why would we complicate our lives thinking about such things? Why will we trouble ourselves with such trivialities?
Give…
Give your knowledge…
Give yourself…
And only expect back the gratification that you are doing the best you can for others. Just realizing that you had the power to hold something back, yet you decided to become part of all that is good, and that your contribution helped make a good thing will be the best reward you get.
Lesson learned: ‘A boomerang rewards you by not returning when it hits the desired prey. If it returns it accomplished nothing, it may be aiming for your head.’
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4 comments:
There is no selfless giving. Try as we might, every action we take (including giving) has a selfish motivation, even if it's merely the satisfaction of doing what we think is the "right" thing.
Even Jesus put a limit on the idea of forever feeling guilty about not giving. When an expensive perfume was being used to anoint Jesus' feet, a disciple complained that the perfume should have been sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus responded, "You will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me with you." Noble as it can be, giving does not need to always be the highest priority.
If a man sells everything he has and gives the money to the poor, he can no longer give to them in the same way and has become poor himself. Rather than give blindly to anyone who asks, it makes more sense to give wisely and strategically.
We tend to think of giving in material terms. But it has many dimensions. Like giving an encouraging word to a depressed coworker. Like sending positive thoughts/prayers to the stranger in the roadside ambulance. Like investing in ourselves by working through emotional issues, so that we're more inspirational to others.
We can all give something... even if it's a damn!
I can't be more true. That's what I meant in the blog, just give.
Your blog was great, Master. My comment was intended to expand on, not correct :)
I know, little big one. I didn't see it that way. I actually loved what you wrote. I'm just supporting what you said with my simple comment, lol.
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