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| Yes | 89% | 1187 votes | Total: 1339 votes | |
| No | 11% | 152 votes |
Yes
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Add to FavoritesOur world keeps on be tormented and destabilized by the extreme differences in the distribution of richness among people; some persons have too much, while too much people have too little or nothing , despite all their endeavours.
What too many people needs is not only simple money but also and more important, psychological help, company, medical cures, instruction, good advices and love. For this reason, I think that finding the generosity and, frequently, even the courage for giving the others what they need is surely better than receiving rewards, prizes or gifts of whatever kind.
We can give what we can, not all we have until falling in ruin for it, because helping the others mustn't depend only on the sacrifice of few "heroic" or "saint" singles, but on modest contributions from many people because generosity must be a value for the widest number of persons. It would be too little if the extreme generosity of relatively few persons helped the poor and needy people while all the others remain apart, only observing with admiration the generous man or woman but not doing or giving anything. Unluckily, this is just the most frequent situation, in the world.
Giving our help the poor and sick people, within asking anything in exchange finds its roots in the awareness that it's right, necessary, noble and possible to offer, at least, a bit of relief and happiness to whom have even forgotten what these words mean.
When we give help the others, what we really receive in exchange for it is the gratitude of the persons we have helped (who, sometimes, have only the strength of smiling to us) and the satisfaction of having resolved some of their problems.
Mother Teresa, the great missionary woman, dead some years ago, assisted and gave shelter and cures to the poorest and ill people of India with her sisters of the missionary religious order she had founded. Frequently, she couldn't help these persons to heal, but only accompany them toward their death, but she offered them the chance of a serene death, with somebody close to them, the comfort of some words and their hand hold by a friend. It can appear little, but it was enough to make them smile, much better than finding a miserable death in the dirt and loneliness of the miserable streets in India and in all the big towns of the Third World.
For Mother Teresa, this smile or whispered "thank you" was the best reward, as she said in a documentary on her life, with the security of having made something useful. She couldn't cure them, but she made them feel God close to them, no matter they were of another religion.
Mother Teresa, maybe, is an extreme case and the Catholic Church has proclaimed her Saint, but in the world there are many volunteers helping he others in state of need with similar generosity, even in condition of extreme personal risk, like wars, epidemic diseases like Ebola in Congo and hostile social environment. Many of them, it's sad to say it, are not priests, nuns or monks, but simple citizens of this world and also for this reason, they will never proclaimed Saint by the Church.
To be clear, I think becoming Saints is absolutely not important and, in any case, much less than the help given, but this shows how partial and hypocrite can be a moral judgement on persons helping the others.
Many of them help by giving emergency medical aid, instruction and food in the Third World and making all this available for children, women, sick and/or old people, while others defend and help endangered or wounded animals. All this is necessary also in the rich Countries, when the authorities don't help wide layers of their society and cause harm to the environment.
These volunteers will never become Saint also because the mass-media ignore them, but this is not their objective and they don't care of this "honour". Also for them, giving is the best thing; they discover to be useful in their society that, in some cases, had refused them before, they know what responsibility means and enjoy the gratitude and sincere friendship of all the people they have helped. They give love, not money or other material things; for this reason, what they give is priceless.
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No
One is no greater than the other, as they both work hand in hand, together. One complements the other in the ongoing, intricate process of evolution. Giving and receiving are laws of nature. The sun gives light to the earth, the earth receives it and gives back in a varying mix of plants, flowers, trees, shrubs, and grasses. The trees and shrubs, plants and flowers, thankful for receiving sunlight, give forth fruit and beautiful flowering foliage. Giving and receiving then are natural processes and one depends on the other. "The universe operates through dynamic exchange. Giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe. And, in our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives." (Deepak Chopra)
Giving and receiving are easy, from a mere smile to a major material gesture. What is it to give. Giving is done with a free heart and spirit. Giving is an instrument of peace, receiving is the same. Giving is a way of pardon, receiving is the same. Giving denies hate, receiving does the same. Giving sows love, receiving does the same. Giving eases injury, receiving does the same. Giving uplifts despair, receiving does the same. Giving offers a glimmer of hope, receiving does the same. Giving turns darkness into light. Giving brings joy. To avoid, deny, or to leave out any one of the dynamics of giving and receiving is to deny nature it's intent to evolve and transform. If man follows his nature rather than his mentality, he will not hunger in need, he will rejoice, content in all things, giving in faith knowing that he will naturally get back what he puts out. He will give and he will receive. He will be in tune with his natural instinct, understanding that "The rich man's wealth is his strong city; the destruction of the poor is their poverty." (Proverbs)
A closed, selfish hand not only blocks receiving but also stops the flow of energy, the process of giving. If a person only cares to gain, s/he is one who leaves another in need. Typically greedy people, those unwilling to give a portion of what they receive, bring trouble into their own households. Proverbs say, "A poor man who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain which leaves no food."
It is imperative that we teach our children that giving and receiving is a lifetime investment. Even though some equate giving to promoting benevolence, it is an altruistic way of attending the social needs of the poor, suffering hunger and pain. Giving and receiving are ways to lift any spirit in any environment. We must increase our own understanding, teaching the laws of nature and the surreal benefits of giving and receiving, both intended to promote good and improve human quality of life. "It is the intention behind your giving and receiving that is the most important thing. The intention should always be to create happiness for the giver and receiver, because happiness is life-supporting and life-sustaining and therefore generates increase. The return is directly proportional to the giving when it is unconditional and from the heart." (Deepak Chopra)
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