I'm Most Thankful that I'm Able to Give

If you've been on this planet for at least a dozen or so years, I'm sure you have heard the old saying, "It's better to give than receive". Well, is it true? Is it actually better to give than receive? Are there case studies that can scientifically point to this a as an actual fact or is it merely a bunch of gibberish made up by people who had ulterior motives, people who just wanted to be on the receiving end?

The curious mind will always question not only authority, but quotes, sayings, clichés and 'old wives tales' alike. I did my homework on this one, the 'giving is better than receiving' one. In order to come up with a scientific conclusion I wound up having to put this practice, well...into practice.

I began practicing these principles first by doing charitable things for people who could never pay me back; homeless strangers, elderly people who I'm not related to and bed ridden people in hospitals. This was the first leg of my experiment, the giving part. The second leg was the receiving part. For this leg of the experiment I asked all my friends and family to help me out with a little cash to pay my bills, a little of their time to help me clean my yard and I asked to use their tools, cars and cooking utensils. Did they help me? Some of them gave me a few bucks here and there and some wanted to loan me the money with a promise to pay it back. I got one person to help with my yard and I was able to borrow a car, two pans and a George Foreman Grill from others.

What was my scientific conclusion? Well, when I gave my money, time and resources to people, I actually experienced a spiritual lift, as these were esteem-able acts; they helped build character and self esteem. I felt good about what I was doing and so did they. However, when I sought to receive stuff from people, I felt bad asking and they felt uncomfortable being put on the spot. Now, had I really needed this help, I probably wouldn't have felt half as bad, but the fact remains, I didn't feel good about it, no matter what the circumstances were... nor did my friends, family and the occasional stranger; yup I asked total strangers for help,. It wouldn't be a complete experiment if I hadn't.

In conclusion, I found it is better to give than receive and that is what I am most thankful for this year, the fact that I am able to give.