Of giving’s and taking’s

"You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give." – Khalil Gibran (The Prophet)

 comic relief for a sensitive post ! : )

There is this little thing about selflessness, it brings joy. Now this might be very selfish thought in itself but many a times the little acts of selflessness actually bring pure altruistic joy. Those few countable moments in one’s life are what make this life worth living.

In the past one hour two very strange things happened. I came home to find out that the cycle of one of the painters working in the house was stolen. A daily wage worker, he earns Rs. 100 a day and without a means to commute would spend Rs. 50 on travelling.

These five people have been in and out of my house since the past fifteen days and if the laws of sociology have to be considered we have become a close group of people.

I could not bear look at this man. His eyes were truly sad. And it was not just his eyes but a face that was pulled down and broken.

I have often wondered why certain people suffer so much and why many of us don’t even realise anything and live our lives taking everything for granted. (Rules and laws of karma maybe)

This is certainly not the first time I have acted kind on a whim. I gave this man money for his cycle without a thought because I knew those eyes would haunt me forever.

9 out of 10 people around us have eyes that are sad. Eyes that talk but are never listened to.  Eyes that wake up each day with a hope but sleep tired and exhausted.

We forget so often to look into these eyes. They are all around us but we never have the time.

I switched on the television and on the news was a story on 26/11. As the date draws closer news channels are gearing up with stories for maximum TRP’s. This one however was truly touching. It showed the plight of the ‘real life hero's’, the ‘real givers’ our Jawans, posted at the Gateway of India.

Living in shambles, forced to use public toilets, sleeping on the cold hard floor expected to protect the country from terrorists.

These are the same people who fought and gave up their lives to save the nation from probably the biggest terrorist attack in recent times. These are the people who gave and continue to give selflessly, something that each one of us holds so dear to us – our life.

Giving is so relative, a couple of thousands can’t compare to a life.

Yet on some spiritual plane it all adds up to a simple act of selflessness and pure joy the act brings.

The prophet is one of my favourite books. Effortlessly Khalil Gibran manages to weave the complexities of life into simplicity.

Read here the chapter on ‘GIVING’.