YOU GIVE BUT LITTLE WHEN YOU GIVE OF YOUR POSSESSIONS
A while ago, a friend of mine called me up. He said, “A thought has been
crossing my mind for over a year now. I have this strong urge to give away five
percent of my income to empower a girl child through education. How shall I go
about it?”
For a moment, I
felt a bit surprised on hearing what my friend was saying. He is a creative guy
and has been freelancing for over three decades. But, for last some years, the
work has come to him erratically, here one, there one. It has been a constant source
of tension in the house, and, it had caused a strain on his relationship with wife.
Apparently, despite his best attempts to get more work, the work has not been
coming his way the way one would expect.
So, against the
backdrop of this situation, when I heard my friend sharing with me what he was
thinking, the natural and the most sincere reaction would be to tell him
“Hello, it’s an impractical idea… You are just daydreaming … First, go out and
get some work, make some money before thinking of ‘giving’ it to the needy… You
need it the most!”
Yes, I did say
this to my friend, but in a different way. I said, “The thought is very noble
and I can feel, that it has come from a clean space. You are asking me as to
how to go about it. My advice is this: This noble thought should motivate you
to earn more. If you wish to give away, say rupees twenty thousand for the
cause in one year, you need to make twenty times of that sum, which is rupees
four lakh.”
“Four lakh is
nothing,” I heard my friend reacting.
“I know; but, when
you have nothing, four lakh is something,” I made my point. I continued, “You need
to care for yourself first; you need to
be happy when you give… Giving can take place in several ways, not necessarily in
terms of money. And, frankly, you need not possess much to give to others…
Giving should come from gratitude and gladness. But, focus on giving your
skills and talents, let it bring in more income… and, do share a part of it for
the cause close to your heart.”
While leaving for my work, early this morning, I saw a very gracious
lady. I had taught her grand children many years ago and found this lady to be
one of the most beautiful persons, both from inside and outside… Very graceful
and dignified. For many years, she had been visiting the revered Gurudwara Shri Dasmesh Darbar at Koliwada, to offer her service (‘Seva’).
She has earmarked some days in the week, and very devoutedly she takes a taxi
outside our complex to be there at the Gurudwara. Today, when she saw me from a
distance, she paced towards me. When she reached me, she pressed my hand gently
and enquired, “Beta, how are you feeling now? Hope, you are really fine now.”
She spent the next
five minutes discussing about my health issues. “Beta, God has been kind… You
have our prayers. You may not know this: I read the books you had given to my
grand children… My English is not good, you know… I feel very happy when I go
through your writings.”
Last evening, I had a very similar experience. Suman, a fellow Tai Chi
learner, had posted in our group her good news: she had just got her doctorate.
I instantly called her to convey my wishes. “Thank you so much Gerry. But tell
me, how are you keeping now?”
From there on,
Suman did not let me focus on her PhD… She only focused on my health… “You are
such a good man, Gerry,” she said, “God will guard you!”
Are these
little-subtle things not acts of ‘giving’?
I remember my earliest days in Mumbai, when I was constantly dreaming of
teaching. The thought made me feel as if I was on top of the world. But, the
reality was, at that moment, I was at my deeptest pit… I was jobless and
penniless… I left home every morning and
came back in the night, hungry… But, I never gave up on dreaming of teaching.
Then, one fine morning, I just got up and walked into a large residential
colony and began to knock on the doors and ‘sell’ myself, my dream of teaching…
When people saw this stranger on their door, some politely closed the doors…
while many did not. They called me in, sensing my infectious enthusiasm and
clean intentions… When they asked about the fees, I found myself telling them,
“Fees are not important… I want to teach.” Many of them trusted me and gave me
a chance to teach their children… I needed money very, very badly… But, I just
focused on teaching with joy and passion…. The rest just happened in my life,
yes, there onward!
So, when I was advising my friend, a while ago, I was constantly
thinking about my own burning desire to help and empower young ones when I
myself had nothing in my pocket… I knew, that the clean intent mattered a lot
in life… Money was a small thing, after all. It had nothing to do with ‘giving’,
in fact…
Impractical?
No Sir… Very, very
practical.
During those ‘glorious’
struggling days of mine, one of the persons who I had taught for a year without
charging a penny was Rekha. Not because Rekha was a financially needy girl… She
came from a well-placed household. I did that act because my hunch said, “Do
it.” Rekha, who is now a mother of two grown-up sons, has remained as one of my
very dear friends. Every year, on Christmas and Easter eves, I receive a hamper
of goodies from her…
One of the most
precious gurudakshina, Rekha had offered me on the last day of her
learning from me – that was some thirty-seven years ago - was a copy of Kahlil Gibran’s classic, ‘The Prophet’. This
book has been a huge influence on me ever since… and, I, in return, have gifted
scores of copies to those who have touched me, helped me…
In ‘The Prophet’, Gibran
says while talking about ‘Giving’:
“You give but
little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For, what are your possessions but things you keep and guard
for fear you may
need them tomorrow?”
Sit back and soak
in this amazing message of Kahlil Gibran…
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pic.: Little Woo
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