My mother opened
the issue up a few days ago saying, “…it’s quite embarrassing that you’re still
the one giving even on your birthday.” I told her I changed my philosophy
during the last few years, pledging to my family I’ll be the one to give presents,
thereby reversing the process. That was supposed to be a joke intended for my wife and
kids, which turned out to be the regular occurrence in the last few years, which
turned out to be the preferred arrangement by everyone, which is fine with me.
Well, I wouldn’t say giving is exactly better than receiving, having even personal
doubts about it from time to time, especially during times of financial distress, when my wallet starts screaming for a refill, which happens most of the time. But it is definitely an alternative, which I
suppose could benefit someone who’s really “maturing” (read: aging) all these
years, at least in terms of introspection.
I turned 43
today, and I intend to continue this newly-discovered family tradition. I already gave
my wife and kids their presents as promised: small, trivial things which are
not much really, and promised them of another family tour in the summer. These may
not be much, but they serve to ensure the spirit of giving stays with me.
Reckon it could even provide a good example for my kids, charity begins at home
anyway.
I may not be
giving much, and I know that most of the time it’s for my wife and kids. Even
though, I still feel a kind of high everytime I do it. It gives a sense of
fulfillment, even achievement. And I find inspiration in stories I read. Most
notable is the story of selflessness of a Japanese boy during the time when tsunami
struck his country more than a year ago. The story goes like this:
In the aftermath
of the tsunami, when throngs of people start congregating at relief centers, a
Japanese cop of Vietnamese origin saw a young Japanese boy at the end of a long
queue of weary and hungry people waiting for their turn in the food ration. The
community volunteers by then are preparing the food from various NGOs, starting
to divide them as there’s not enough for the number of people waiting in the queue.
The cop walked to the boy and started a conversation with him. He found out that
the boy lost his family in the disaster, and has nowhere to go until he was
rescued and brought to the center. The boy’s story cut deep into the cop’s
emotions, and as he looks into the hungry child, he started opening his small
satchel, offering his food ration to the boy, thinking he already had a light
snack a few hours back anyway. What happened next surprised him. The boy, after
accepting the food from the cop, walked to the beginning of the queue and
placed the food onto the table. The cop, bewildered by the boy’s action, asked why
he did that. The boy’s answer made him burst into tears.
The boy said: ‘If
I eat the food by myself, I will be the only one who’ll benefit. But if I place
it there (on the table), then it will be shared with everyone and more can partake
of it.’
This act of
selflessness in times of hopelessness and adversity never fails to move me
everytime I read it. And I keep saying to myself: if a young boy can sacrifice
and practice the gift of giving, why wouldn’t I?
I guess I just
need to sacrifice a bit more and expand it.
