Be generous with your gestures, not just words

This memorable incident that happened in Mumbai many years ago still flashes on my mental screen. My good old neighbour once had a gaggle of guests gatecrash
her abode without giving her any
prior notice.

Apparently, she was totally unnerved by this unexpected blitz and unprepared for the unremitting kitchen chores. After three days of dreary drudgery, she was indeed delighted when she was verbally promised a delectable dinner treat by her guests, whose departure date was decided
the next day.

But lo! Not only did they renege on their promise by returning home late at night from their city-roaming expedition, but they also made her rustle up meals at that really inopportune hour, claiming they were all ravenously hungry!

Truly, this kind of tongue-generosity, by way of gabbling and not by genuine gestures, is not rare to many of us.

Incidentally, often we hear people promising profuse physical help, too, like, say, when we are at the helm of hosting a social event. But when their physical succour is sorely needed, you can see them stealthily scooting off without a scintilla of support.

A schoolmate frequently spends some hours with a string of small kids, showering several gifts on them, at an orphanage. An aunt of hers, living a lavish lifestyle, keeps yapping about donating large bucks as largesse to that institution housing lonely children.

But, till today, it seems, she hasn’t lifted even a little finger to do anything worthy for those children.

A close friend was once saying, “A colleague of mine often comes up with this corny phrase of being constantly there for me, as a confidante, during all the crests and troughs of my life. But, just when I try calling her at crucial moments, she invariably trots out the excuse of being incredibly busy and cuts off the call. Leave alone allaying my mental agony or angst, she wouldn’t have even a modicum of patience to listen.”

Well, whether it’s financial or any sort of generosity, the exalted form of it is exhibited exclusively and entirely by exquisite gestures. T

The aforesaid kind of ‘worthless’ generosity, through weasel words, is much worse than ‘not doing even a whit of anything’ at all!