'You know what we got for Akshay's birthday?' asked my daughter to her
brother while walking home from the day care. She was holding a chocolate cake. 'Don't worry, we will share it once home, ok?' she
reassured as he stared at the chocolate-oozing cake. I was mightily impressed hearing this from the four year old. It
occurred to me then that this was a result of my wife repeatedly emphasizing the need for
them to share with each other whatever they received. All parents do.
That was two years back.
After my recent Facebook post on 'giving,' I quickly checked with people around me about 'giving' and how, what, and when they would. All I got was diplomatic responses. Most said it depends on the situation. It is apparent. As adults, we tend to overlook what others would want, expect or like. We get conditioned into carrying out what we want. After all, we want to let others know how ambitious we are and so we'd rather focus on how fast we can climb the ladder of success. And, the thought of giving gets relegated - for another time - when we have enough time.
I came across 'the power of giving,' where the authors had this to say : Souls are like athletes who need opponents worthy of them if they are to be tried and extended and pushed to the full use of their powers. That’s an insightful analogy, for just as your muscles weaken without physical exercise, so does your soul weaken without its special kinds of exercise. A great exercise for your soul is the practice of giving. As with physical exercise, the more you do it, the easier it is, and the stronger you will become. Can we exercise our souls?
