Giving
by Kahlil GibranOriginal Language English
You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving."
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.
Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights, is worthy of all else from you.
And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream.
And what desert greater shall there be, than that which lies in the courage and the confidence, nay the charity, of receiving?
And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their wealth naked and their pride unabashed?
See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving.
For in truth it is life that gives unto life -- while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.
 | -- from The Prophet, by Kahlil Gibran |
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/ Image by Cristian Bernal /
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This week I have been thinking about the suffering and cruelty embodied by the immigrant detention camps along the southern US border. I found myself turning to this poem by Gibran, himself an immigrant to the the US...
Whom do we help? To whom do we give? Which people do we choose to care for and consider part of our community?
It seems a reasonable response to say, "I would give, but only to the deserving." The problem with such a reasonable approach is that reason, for all its usefulness, is stuck in the head. The questions of giving and connection are questions for the heart, not the head. And the heart knows what the head does not:
They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.
We don't give to help the deserving. Everyone is deserving. And, ultimately, we don't give to help those in need. We give to help ourselves, because giving is essential to our nature, while non-giving is a form of death.
When we work deeply with service and giving as part of our spiritual path, we begin to understand that the alleviation of want and the sharing of resources is not enough. That surface approach is usually a sign of ego's touch, a way to crown oneself as the giver. We haven't yet discovered what it means to be worthy to give. Seen clearly, there is no personal merit in giving. It is not about "karma points" or buying our way into heaven. Giving is our nature. Giving is who we are. It is what we do when we are true to ourselves. Giving and caring and help are the natural flow of life, and we are part of that life. When we give we have simply ceased to constrict our own spirit... and then our hearts untighten and we can witness life flowing through us all.
For in truth it is life that gives unto life -- while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.
We should daily ask ourselves, "What gift can I give?"
Recommended Books: Kahlil Gibran
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| The Prophet | The Beloved: Reflections on the Path of the Heart | Broken Wings | Jesus the Son of Man | Kahlil Gibran: His Life & World |
| More Books >> | ||||
