Giving

02007-02-09 | Musings | 9 comments

This is somewhat related to my DRM, Freedom, Life post earlier today. Many people seem to feel that they have to reach higher ground before they can be free or generous or happy or really creative. It’s almost as if we feel that we have to have it all before we can share anything. Warren Buffett and Bill Gates have become national heroes. They are the richest men in the world and now they are giving large quantities of money. Big deal! If you ask me, I admire a person walking down the street with twenty bucks in their pocket and giving a couple of those away much more than Gates or Buffett. Giving when you have so much is easy – giving when you are just getting by is hard. Most school teachers in this country are greater people than these two heroes, getting paid so little for such an important and under-valued service.

It’s like the person who decides their life will really begin when they retire only to have a heart-attack a month into their retirement.

I will shut up now and see whether I can post another podcast of music. Too many words…

9 Comments

  1. vic

    Right on.

    Reply
  2. Brent

    Just enough words! Thanks for writing about all that. As a musician, it’s something I lose track of too much. It’s so easy to forget how amazing life is, and can be, even when “unsuccessful.”

    Reply
  3. ottmar

    Brent – it’s something we all forget and need to be reminded of. Constantly.
    I remember a zen story about a monk who asks the master something like this: What is it like when we are always in the moment? The master answers: Bragging!
    In other words, we lose the way, we find the way, we lose the way, we find the way…
    With practice we can hopefully remain in the moment and on the way a little longer. Or find our way back easier.

    Reply
  4. Bret Jenkins

    I think Jesus said something similar about those with little giving more in the eyes of God.

    Reply
  5. Eno aka Eric

    well now that brings an interesting point. maybe the reason why some people feel that, is simply because they don’t FEEL like their foundation has been set yet. Often times we only give once we feel like we have a sense of security fitting to whatever our intepretation of that level is. For some it’s higher, for others it’s lower. I don’t think we should take away from anyone who is willing to give at any level. Sometimes the only way to reach one’s potential in life is to go through a gradual transition of being totally selfish. Sometimes it’s the only way to see if you can establish that foundation which will be strong enough to support others down the road. A sprout can not harness the weight of an acorn, let alone the weight of a squirrel.

    Reply
  6. Mixalis

    Give! Give! Give!!! and never expect anything in return and you will never experience disapointment.

    Reply
  7. ottmar

    Eric – I hear what you are saying and think you misunderstood my point. Similar to my post on DRM, I was trying to point out that we should not wait until we are secure to risk something or wait until we are rich to give something. Giving at any level is good, but look around you – it has become the way so many people feel these days: first I’ll get my own and then, if they ask nicely, I might share some of my money/power/wisdom.

    Reply
  8. Carol

    When I compare how good it makes me feel to be able to make someone smile, and how I cringe when I feel I may have hurt someone in any way, I prefer to give whatever I can. Both feelings remain and grow within me. I think we’re all built that way aren’t we?
    I guess what I feel can’t really compare to what people like Denny Sanford must feel inside giving so much to so many. A whole lot of smiles

    Reply
  9. Eno aka Eric

    the key word in my comment was sometimes. and yes I do agree with you. the time spent being selfish is over what most people really need. hence the emptiness they find. something is lost when the connection from life (e.g., humans, animals, plants, earth etc.) has dissolved to a single phenomenon which most people feel is themselves. not realizing we’re all doing the exact same thing!

    Reply

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