What is giving, what is taking

The act of giving is a noble act when it is given with love, kindness and compassion. At the same time, it is also a very responsible task - things must be given to a worthy person who can be empowered by that gift and can lift their spirits, rather than drive a materialistic impulse. If money is given to an alcoholic or a pearl necklace to a monkey, the result will be disastrous. By giving, the giver accumulates good karma and also attracts grace and blessings from the receiver as well as the original source of our connected lives. On the other hand, by receiving the right gift the receiver can empower himself and gets an opportunity to express his gratitude to the donor. Gifts can be in many forms - food, money, clothing, teaching a skill or imparting knowledge. Sometimes adversities or challenges in life are also gifts that act as medicine that heals and transforms us. They inspire the sufferer to find out new avenues to encounter those challenges with courage, efficiency and dignity. A story that I know to be true from my own life goes something like this - I know a person who just had one arm and came to a rich person's house to get some monetary help. The lady of the house asked him to arrange some bricks in her garden. When he expressed his inability to do this with one arm, the lady folded her one arm behind her and demonstrated how she could do it. He got the point, did the job nicely, and was surprised to get a very handsome remuneration from the lady in return. As he was drenched in sweat, he asked the lady to give him a handkerchief, which she gave and asked him to keep it. Many years passed by. One day a swanky car stopped near her house, a well dressed gentleman came down and bowed down to her. When she could not recognize him he showed her that handkerchief and with great reverence said, " I have come to pay my respect to you. You taught me how to be self sufficient and how to live with dignity. Now I own a factory, where I give opportunities to others to come up with their own efforts." She was overwhelmed with joy. Every soul has immense potentiality and can be kindled when it gets inspiration and opportunities from other inspiring souls. It is said - what we give comes back to us ten fold. So while giving or asking for some thing one must be very careful. I will end with a story which is full with subtle humor and also warns us to be careful before asking for something. Two departed souls were presented before God. God asked them what they would like to have in their next lives. One said he wanted to get everything, and the other said he wanted to give away everything. God fulfilled their desires. The first one was born as a beggar - with his arms outstretched and always begging.The second one was born as a king. With his arms giving everything away to people with purpose. It is up to us to understand what is give and take and which path we prefer.