On Giving and Stuff.

I was reflecting earlier on several people I’ve encountered down the years who took what they needed from me and then moved on without giving anything back. I asked myself whether it irritated me and whether I felt short-changed, but I didn’t. I decided that to anyone aspiring to grow in this little life, the best sort of giving is that which has no expectation of reward.

Oh dear. That all sounds a bit sanctimonious, doesn’t it? A bit supercilious even. It’s the kind of plasticised philosophy byte which people like to quote because it’s neatly put and sounds profound. Actually, in this case I think it’s probably true.

At the shallow end of the principle is the self-evident fact that giving makes people feel good about themselves. That’s the immediate reward, but it can only work if there’s nothing given back. If there is, then it’s a simple exchange and there’s no reason to feel proud of it. But what about the bigger, more arcane picture?

I strongly suspect that all giving is returned in equal measure by that great clearing house in the sky which we call karma. It allows for acceptance of the fact that there’s no need for any direct relationship between the giving and the rewarding. Balance is achieved in seemingly random ways and over the longer term, possibly over lifetimes if you also subscribe to that possibility.

As usual I don’t know whether I’m right or not because such notions belong to the inventory of unprovable things about which there is no point in being dogmatic. But it suits my approach to life and so I stick to it without feeling sanctimonious. I am, after all, just trying to make sense of being here and it helps to have a few handles to hold onto.

And I wish somebody would give me a reason to stop being earnest.