Giving serves your own needs

Giving does serve your own needs.

In Africa, they use the word Ubuntu.

God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with. – Billy Graham

Ubuntu is a beautiful word meaning: I am because you are.

Ubuntu stands for living a life of service.

Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela live their lives in the principles of Ubuntu.

“God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.”

Billy Graham

 

Could it be the same?

 

When you open your hands to give something to someone, it is exactly the same movement as when you open your hand to receive a gift from someone.

When we open ourselves up to give to others we are also open to receiving.

When we don’t want to give or share, we close ourselves and are not able to receive from others.

You can see that in our body language: folded arms, body turned away.

In order to give or receive you need to open your hands; when you hold on to things you close your hands, they turn into fists, and we know what that stands for.

 

Be Open

Being open to receiving and giving means not just sharing with others; it means that you feel part of that community or group, family, friends, or colleagues.

Being open doesn’t just mean receiving gifts; it also means receiving love, attention, care, and communication, and everything else you need in life.

 

Receiving and taking is not the same

Receiving and taking are two totally different things; when you hold on to something because you feel it belongs to you, you close yourself off.

You stop flowing; you stop receiving because you are holding on.

Nothing flows between you and the other person. When that happens we feel disconnected, lonely, not part of a bigger group.

It is what Mother Teresa calls ‘poverty of the heart’. Let go.

Lose ballast and you enrich your life.

What can you let go of?

By letting go you open yourself up to receive.

Giving does serve your own needs. 1

Leon Aarts – who has written posts on GeekandJock.


5 thoughts on “Giving does serve your own needs.”
  1. Hi All,

    Indeed a great idea, let me ponder over it so we get an interesting string of posts. It is all there I'll just need to think about it for a minute. I agree. Martin it is a change of mindset, we are creatures of habit.

    Powerful when think about this together. Alone we can do so little, Together…

    The heart of our power is in the power of our heart.

  2. I think there's a social concept that most people are brainwashed with, in relation to 'giving'.

    You know 'Always look after number 1' type of thing. So refreshing to start seeing more of this happening as I actively see more and more of these actions and movement popping up all over the place – including Leon's 'ExtraOrdinary Ones'.

    Would be interesting to see some form of 'Feeding Kids for Dummies' post where ordinary guys can plainly understand what they need to start doing and preparing for – since it is a change in mindset etc. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say.

    1. I was just about to post this same comment, Martin – another night owl, I see.

      Keeping wealth to yourself is certainly fostered in today age. I see that changing with the likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Which is awesome to see and it advertises the fact that giving is a good thing. 'Feeding Kids for Dummies' is actually a neat idea too.

    2. Saw this one float by on Twitter just now and got me interested in what it was all about.
      Something simply needs to revolutionize getting our kids fed – the damn governments certainly aren't doing it. They more than happy to bail out the banks and run up a debt in the trillions of dollars but feed starving kids? No way! That's a damn shame and a morale shame too.

      I've never heard of anything like 'Feeding Kids for Dummies' so it gets my vote, yeah. Something that's plain, simple and easy to understand and action. Something that gets the habit of feeding the nations children and becomes ingrained.

      1. Yeah Mitch, I fume when I see the waste in government spending over and above the basic neccessities of human existance. What is the world coming to?
        Same with weapons too. Can you imagine how many hungry children would get fed if they made just 1 less smart-bomb – those things cost something like $US30,000 a pop. A few less field trials and …. jesus, it's staggering.

        I'd love to see Leon put together an ongoing series of 'Feeding Kids for Dummies' posts too. There's enormous attraction on many levels by doing just that, for him as well as us here on this site. Kind of a hub for men of action which is what it's all about.

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