We don't need to learn to Give

I just recently had a convo about this with a cashier.  A person ahead of me was shy just under a dollar...for that ever taboo thing call booze (/sarcasm). I immediately handed over a dollar and waved away the change. When the cashier gushed about how it was so nice of me, I explained my thoughts on it.

Giving is necessary. There was a time when people gave out of religious requirement. They never thought it was needful except that "God" required it. In this day of post-religion and a growing atheism or agnoticism, it is still needful to give. The reason is that we can not open ourselves mentally/emotionally/spiritually to receive if we do not open ourselves to give. It is a cycle that can not be broken without disasterous results. "Altruism" is required for the benefit of our society's survival.

This also means that we must be open to receiving. When people say no to "charity," being too proud to accept gifts and help, they close themselves to giving. This is where I believe we have gone wrong. By being too prideful and independant to receive the blessings and care of others, we have prevented ourselves from being able to give. We can not give to those that will not receive.

Universal law states what is good for one is good for all.  We live in a reciprocal society.  If we say no to receiving then we close others off to receiving from us.  As universal law dictates, if we do not allow others to give to us then they can not allow us to give to them.  Reciprocation.  If we say no to giving to others then others must say no to giving to us.  This is what our society functions on.  Reciprocation.

An excellent example is of the payments of KMart layaways by anonymous people.  By giving to others who were open to receiving, the receipients became open to giving (some were able to give a christmas to their kids, some used some of the money to "pay it forward") which continued the cycle.  We all understand the principle of "paying it forward."  Reciprocation of gifting and receiving frees us to move forward and really live.  If those who had their layaways paid for refused the gifts, KMart would have to reverse the payments and pass it on to someone else...or be holding money they can't account for which would put them in a legal bind.  So those people were open to receive and we able to give in return to others.

I firmly believe that the change our society needs most has nothing to do with learning to give...we are desperate to give, we know how to give, we love to give. I believe we need to learn how to receive...with grace, with dignity, with love. Open ourselves to the blessings and gifts of others. It is not greedy, it is not selfish. It is loving to allow others to give to us, for that opens them up to receive from us our blessings and gifts...which we all LOVE to do.