Giving is difficult, receiving is easy..

“They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.
This is the gist of all worship – to be pure and to do good to others.”

-Swami Vivekananda.

When we refer to ‘giving’, we assume that it is money or some material possessions. Actually it is not at all wrong! I feel Money can buy happiness but when spent on others. Not only this, Giving can include- giving your time, your talents, a patient hearing or even expressing kindness. When you give to another person, you are in essence admitting that you have an understanding of the grand scheme of human kindness. It is living beyond the level of selfishness, beyond greed and personal needs. It is living in your higher self. Leo Buscaglia, the self development writer says: “ You want to be most educated, the most brilliant, the most exciting, the most versatile, the most creative individual in the world, because you can give it and the only reason you have anything is to give it away.” Giving is difficult, receiving is easy. It is because of some divine spark within that you would like to share things with others. Service to others is like digging deep to discover your abilities, talents, personality and finding the opportunity you want to share with humanity.
One of my favorite teacher used to say: “The most fascinating thing about giving is that there is someone to receive. If there is none to receive whom are you trying to give?” Do not stand on a high pedestal and take 5 cents in your hand and say, "here, my poor man.."; but be grateful that the poor man is there, so by making a gift to him you are able to help yourself. It is not the reciever that is blessed, but it is the giver. Be thankful that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercy in the world, and thus become pure and perfect. The great Buddha was once abused by someone who wanted to test his reaction. After a while the man asked Buddha why he is not reacting? Buddha replied: “ If you offer something to anyone and he refuses to accept, to whom does the thing belong? Service and humanity begin with empathy. Empathy is when you put yourself in the lives of others. When you truly understand others pain, joy, fears and emotions, it is empathy. Empathy at the highest level is when you know what other people’s needs are, their pain, sorrow, joy and wants. To be a giving person, it will be important to cultivate a sense of empathy. Giving is most sacred, when you give without expecting anything in return.
There is an old saying that goes: “ Teachers touch the future. They never know where their influence ends. As a giving person you never know where your influence ends. When you give, it should be described as an investment for the future. It is leaving a part of yourself to posterity. You can treat it as your living monument when you are gone.
Altruism deals with selflessness. It means having a genuine concern, compassion and kindness towards humanity, caring for the welfare of fellow citizens. Such people don’t require an order from someone, as the feeling of helping is spontaneous n sporadic; altruism does not concern itself with rewards, status, money or power. It comes due to total abandonment of Ego and remuneration. It is rooted in a desire to move humanity forward.
By helping others, you are helping yourself. The more you give, the better you feel. That is why Mother Teresa said: “ Give till it hurts”. Deepak Chopra, the doctor evangelist says: “ Practicing the ‘law of giving’ is actually very simple. If you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, give love to others; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give the same to others. If you want material affluence, help others to become affluent.”
Every night, lakhs of people sleep on the pavements of India because they have no shelter. Millions wake up every morning in poverty and millions just don’t know where to get work for a square meal. Millions of children die due to malnutrition, intense cold, intense heat and no one to care for them. Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “ You cannot do a kindness so soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late”. Even the poorest person can give, not money, but his or her services, saying a good word, doing a good deed, making others feel safe in their company and so on. Such gifts are priceless and has to come from the heart. Giving to the world sounds so monumental but it is so simple, i.e. just be available for another’s need. Help someone to smile, laugh heartily, help someone to face a tragedy, help someone to reduce stress, help someone to cry and purify the mind and soul and so on. The saying is: “ If you cannot do it, solicit help; if others come, do render help”.The true treasure of life is togetherness, goodness, searching and the joy of finding. The true riches are hidden in the hearts and minds of men. The Mahabharata describes, the aggressively good person like Lord Krishna, aggressively bad person like Duryodhana, passively good person like Yudhishtir, passively bad person like Dhritharashtra and so on. The difference between winning and loosing depends on what type of software you have loaded into your mind. Remember, that one need not curse or rejoice, because you can be good in any environment, favourable or adverse. So my friends, try to find gifts in everyday life. The saying is: “ Do your best and you will succeed in whatever circumstances you are placed! :)