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Today's
Meditation:
A
question that I constantly ask my students whenever I have
the opportunity is this: What does it feel like when
you've been able to give something to someone else or help
someone else when they need it? Invariably, they tell
me that it's a very good feeling, very positive. And
then I ask them if they realize that if they don't let other
people help them, they're denying those other people the
opportunity to have that same positive feeling.
Somehow,
many of us have developed the idea that to take from others
is a sign of weakness, or is an imposition on others.
And I suppose there are those people in the world who are
going to try to make us feel indebted to them for any bit of
help they might give us. But for the most part, people
like to help others simply for the sake of helping, and if
we don't allow ourselves to receive, then we're pulling
ourselves out of one of the greatest cycles on this planet--
that of giving and receiving-- and keeping others
from being a part of that very important cycle.
Giving
is extremely important to the world. When done well,
with no expectation of any sort of obligation on the
receiver, giving is one of the most positive types of
action that we can take. The love and compassion
inherent in selfless giving is something that spreads, that
grows, that affects others in very uplifting ways.
Goodness can grow only if we allow it to be expressed, and
if we refuse to receive, for whatever reasons our minds or
egos give us, we're keeping that expression of love from
thriving.
Receiving
isn't a sign of weakness. Taking a loan or accepting
help with some sort of project is a beautiful thing, and we
all can contribute to the goodness in the world by allowing
ourselves to accept from others, and allowing others to give
to us.
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