Better to give than to receive

While studying under various Gurus, I had the privilege of having one message me once. Her missive went a bit like this, “It is better to give than to get…” I queried her about the origin of this quote.

She referred to the Holy Bible, “Remember the words of Jesus Christ, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35). It brought back memories of my days in the education sector when my poor EQ (Emotional Quotient) was compensated by my GQ (Giving Quotient).

In fact, I still recall one particular school when I celebrated Children’s Day in a unique way with my students …I baked two cakes for them, then selected a couple of tapes and carried along my music system. Truth be told, my class was blown away by my affection. 

In yet another school as Christmas drew near and the whole school wore a festive air with pageants being aired in every class and every class teacher outdoing the other in terms of helping her children decorate the class, I decided to painstakingly wrap some beautiful jewelry boxes for my little ones with some loving notes for each child…after all every Teacher’s Day didn’t they cover me with a deluge of roses ? In showering their love upon me whenever I entered school,  didn’t they deserve all this and more?

I stand firm by in my belief that, like ’Danveera Karna,’ a generous elder brother of the Pandavas, when the moment to give comes, choose to do so unconstrained by any misgivings.

To quote from the New Testament (Mathews 6:1-4), “…when you give to the needy, do not let your
left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may
be in secret…”

Even the Quran reverberates in kind, “For those who give in charity, men and women, and loan to Allah a beautiful loan, it shall be increased manifold (to their credit...”) (57:18).

In the end, giving bestows upon one a distinct glow of beneficence that no one can rob you of.

And as you tread this blessed path in a spirit of humility, humanity, kindness and lovingness, remember that saying by Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken…”

So persevere and stop not in proffering your all to each and
every one…