On the myth of “Giving Too Much” …

Most of us have been taught from a very early age that it is important to first fill one’s own “tank” before giving to anyone else.

Of course, this is the slightly nicer portion of the “broad path to destruction” that Jesus mentions in his teachings. For as long as we are first taking care of ourselves, we cannot truly Care for others.  And as long as we are not deeply Caring for others, we cannot know the full Bliss of what it means to be truly Human.

To focus on ourselves in this way is not “bad”, of course — it is simply not selfless, nor is is truly humble; nor is it sincerely Kind.  And as such, it does not come from a place of true Oneness, which is the only place in which the great Power of true LOVE resides.

AND YET, there is another Way — the Selfless Path mentioned not only by Jesus, but also by Buddha & Gandhi & Lao Tsu & Peace Pilgrim & St. Francis -– a Way that plays Life’s “game” by a completely different set of rules; a fresh set of guidelines that completely transcend all the traditional ways we deal with energy and effort and fatigue and success.

On this Path, when we get tired while reaching out to others, it is not a sign that we are “giving too much”, but is rather an indication that we are not truly Giving at all; that we are serving not solely to serve another, but rather to satisfy some personal hope or expectation or dream or wish.

On this Path, we learn the Truth that it is impossible to feel fatigued while purely Giving to another — that to do so means to tap into an Energy Source that is infinitely more vast than the meager stores available in our own bodies.

The Earth is an awfully big place, and it is steadily filling up with billions & billions of people – all of them with different agendas; all of them with unique sets of hopes & dreams, entrenched collections of desires and fears that often have them behaving in ways we ourselves deem to be “inappropriate” or “unhealthy” or “impractical” or “mean”.

Most of us have learned already that it is impossible to persuade others to deeply change who they are or how they are behaving.  Indeed, to do so is to meet futility head on … To do so is to inevitably become emotionally frustrated and physically exhausted.

And yet we have all at least witnessed glimpses of another Way:  anonymous acts of generosity for friends that fill us with warmth … gentle acts of kindness to strangers that fill us with Joy … humble acts of forgiveness for enemies that fill us with Peace.

And when we do happen to notice such Good Deeds, we do not feel uplifted for no reason.  No, it is the nature of this other Way that showers all selflessness with such an inner radiance.

On this Path, even in our darkest of hours; even when we are feeling “dead tired” or “too busy” or “lower than low” or “scared silly”, we can still reach out to Love anyway – and thereby be lifted up, filled with an Energy that comes from we know not where.

In other words, while trying to “take care of another” is indeed often exhausting, simply Caring for that other is always empowering.

While personally experimenting with this Truth over the past several years, I have learned that there is an alternative method for approaching our times of fatigue or pain or fear.

While the popular path method would have us rest when tired or recuperate when in pain or meditate when fearful (maybe to then go serve others with moderate potency at some point in the future), the Selfless Way has us Purpose-fully continuing to serve in those times of dis-ease; knowing that to do so makes those same acts of Kindness infinitely more effective for the others to whom we give them.

And, oddly enough, when we do choose to consciously self-sacrifice in this manner, most of our own fatigue and pain and fear disappear as well.

In this Way, our times of great fatigue become our times of greatest Power,

our times of great pain become our times of greatest Bliss,

our times of great fear becomes our times of greatest Peace.

Your ego would have you believing otherwise, of course. But then, that is the ego’s job – to keep us from walking this other, more “dangerous” Way.

Fortunately, none of us are “only human”.

We are HUMAN instead!

Fortunately, we are far more than mere “smart animals” who must rest when weary, heal when hurt or protect ourselves when under attack.

No, my Friends, each and every one of us is a conscious & conscient Being … and as such, we always have a choice.

We can always choose to Love anyway …

… and thereby come to know the Bliss that only comes to those who do so.

Filed under: simple Answers to tough Questions by Scaughdt