Giving is Receiving
29 November, 2015
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give,” said Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Humans are cooperative by nature. We rely upon other people for survival. One way that evolution has conspired to promote mutual interdependence is by building individual character a sense of gratitude and reciprocity among humans.
Motivations for giving are complicated and complex. We give because we are generous or want to be thought of that way. We give because it makes us feel good to see others happy, and we give because we care about someone’s welfare or about the welfare of the community as a whole. We may even give because society expects this. Regardless of the rationale, giving is the social act that bonds people together for mutual benefit. Ethical gift giving leads to a sense of gratitude and a spirit of generosity. It deepens relationships and encourages support and respect.
Giving is a rare and precious energy resource, the energy of connecting. When we show kindness and generosity towards one another, we connect deeply and are enriched by the connection. The giver and receiver are bonded together in a state of unity. Changes take place in our awareness and our lives when we give and receive graciously.
To sum it all up, giving is like a boomerang. You may throw it really far, but in time it will always come back to you. No matter how little or how large the gift, the result will be the same: the giver and the receiver will both benefit. And just like Francis of Assisi quoted: “For it is in giving that we receive.”