“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” ~Albert Einstein
We live in a selfish world. Everything is about ourselves. My problems, my wants, my life, my identity, my happiness, and on and on. Ads are constantly telling us get this or buy that to be happy. Do you want to lose weight? Are you depressed? Have you upgraded to the latest phone?
We spend our free time watching TV, surfing our phones, working out, on our hobbies. We think about our next vacation, the next party, the next episode of our favorite series. It’s all us, us, us, me, me, me…
Some self-centered thinking is okay and actually necessary to live fruitfully, but in our day and age it has gotten out of control. How much time in a day do we spend in service of others? How often do we think of how we can help others? Do we ever?
Now you may be asking: Why? Why should we give our time to others?
Well, let’s go through an example. Let’s simulate two different days and imagine how they make us feel. Say you have a free Saturday with nothing to do and you can spend it however you want.
In scenario one, you choose to spend the entire day doing whatever you want. You wake up, eat your favorite breakfast meal, and then do your favorite hobby: fishing. You spend the day on your favorite lake, fishing the day away. In the evening, you come home and finish the last season of that epic TV series.
In scenario two, say you chose to spend one day living for someone. First thing in the morning, you head over to your grandma’s house and cook her her favorite meal for breakfast. Afterwards you help her with that garden that she’s been struggling with all spring . You spend hours working on it with her, getting it in tip-top shape, afterwards going out to eat at her favorite restaurant, and end the day talking, laughing, and reminiscing. When you go to leave, she tells you that it’s the best day she’s had in a long time and she thoroughly loved every minute.
Now, looking back on these two days, both are good. In fact, both types of days are recommended to live a fulfilling life. But one will have a positive affect on both you and another, one will incite joy and happiness in someone you love, gratitude and a feeling of being loved. It will bring you a sense of satisfaction and purpose, and of being an uplifting influence on those around you.
“The greatest good is what we do for one another.” ~Mother Theresa
Even science agrees that generosity is necessary to live a fulfilling life. Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that generosity leads to an increase in happiness. Research has shown that generosity produces a warm glow, as in our body temperature literally rises as a result of giving. There is even a concept called “helper’s high,” which says that giving releases feel-good chemicals like oxycontin and endorphins.
It can even be noted in children, as showcased by this graph below.
It’s pretty clear that living a life of giving, generosity, charity, not only leads to happiness to those who are receiving, but those who give, too.
If we can cultivate a spirit of generosity in our lives, it affects those around us. We are social creatures and we’re always observing the activities of those around us. If you start to give, those around you will take notice and it will make an impression. One person doing good can lead to others following their example. Start living for your loved ones, thinking of them more than yourself, and I guarantee you will notice an increase in love. They will begin to return the selfless love.
Imagine if you started to seek the other’s good before your own in a relationship. Imagine the affect that would have on your marriage. Your family. Your community. Your country.
“True love is sacrifice. It is in giving, not in getting; in losing, not in gaining; in realizing, not in possessing, that we love!” ― Dada J.P. Vaswani
In today’s society, we do not love. We have lust, we have pleasure, we have selfishness. If we learned to give, to think of others, to sacrifice, the affect that would have on our lives would be immeasurable.
If giving is so good, why don’t we give, then?
It’s hard.
Society has trained us not to. Human nature fights against it. We don’t see many others doing it. It’s a constant battle over one’s own mind.
As a society, we have lost the practice of sacrifice and we are paying dearly for it. Broken relationships, deteriorating civilizations, rampant depression.
Giving is good, giving is necessary, giving needs a revival. Living for others is the only way to truly live.
“For it is in giving that we receive…” ~St. Francis
