Not game related, but a good post for the holidays

This is a post from a friend on myspace, which I added some comments to at the bottom. Whether or not you celebrate the holidays (I dont celebrate Christmas myself), this post pretty much sums up giving vs. greed (greedy motives), and we would all be better off if we acted this way:

Quote:

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From: Oggie

Date: Dec 21, 2006 10:52 AM
Subject Giving from the heart
Body: I was on my way to work this morning when I ran into an ex co-workers husband while stopping for a cup of java. We greeted each other in the Holiday spirit, inquiring if each other were ready for Christmas. My friend was saying this is such a stressful time of year, I replied "yep, we tried to keep it simple this year, not having to run around buying things no one needs just because it is the season to spend but still found our selves caught up in it all by necessity or obligation." He then made the statement "well. I try to give from the heart" and replied "As it should be" We wished each other a merry Christmas and went on our way.

As I was driving up the highway I started thinking about what my friend said, "I give from the heart." I wondered, "Does he really know what it means to give from the heart? Do any of us in this oh so materialistic world know what it means to give from the heart,
especially this time of the year? "

Lets face it, we live in a society that has perverted and dictated the Christmas Season and the idea of giving from the heart. First off, if we give because it's that time of the year and it's the right thing to do, are we giving from the heart? If we give to only friends and relative relatives, are we giving from the heart? If we by presents for those we know or expect are buying something for us, are we giving from the heart?

What does it mean to give from the heart? Well I guess each person has to come to that conclusion himself or herself. I can tell you what it means to me and you take it with a grain of salt or embrace it as your own.

To me " To give from the heart" means...

to give unconditionally with no expectations of gain.

to give freely out of love and or sincere compassion not out of necessity, obligation, ritual or tradition.

to give anonymously and in secret as to not blow your own horn or impress others with false generosity.

to step out of your circle of friends, families and co-workers and to give to a stranger who is in need or even an enemy for no other reason then to show them you care.

Let me give you an example. You know, that greasy old man you always see in front of the Wal-Mart exit holding a cardboard sign, the one we all justify passing by, because after all he is probably a drunk or drug addict. What if you were heading to Wal-Mart and saw him on the way in and you noticed his hands were red from the cold and you thought to yourself " Man that guys hands must be freezing" so you decide you are going to by him some iceotoner gloves a card and maybe a gift certificate for McDonalds or something. As you get ready to seal the card something tells you to drop in a $20 bill, then in your mind you think "well he may spend it on drugs or alcohol" then you realize its not your place to judge him after all you don't know why he is there or what event has brought him to this low place in life. You seal the card, wrap the present, pull up to where the man is sitting with his sign and instead of handing him a hand full of change or a crumpled up dollar bill you give him a Christmas present picked just for him, wish him a Merry Christmas and go on your way, never telling anyone else about what you did.

Now to me, that's giving from the heart, a pure heart. Why? Because the act was done out of complete selflessness. Nothing to gain, no one to impress, only because you felt compassion to someone who was in need, not only in need of a tangible item but more importantly in need of a kind gesture, a compassionate touch or a simple how of unconditional love.

So my friends, if you have that Holiday burn out and you are tired of the whole ritual of giving because "that's what we should do", I encourage you to look around listen to your heart step out and experience "Giving from the heart".

Well, as I said earlier 'I can tell you what it means to me and you take it with a grain of salt or embrace it as your own."

I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas.


Chris"

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Quite a good blog post, I especially like the part about:

Quote:

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"to give freely out of love and or sincere compassion not out of necessity, obligation, ritual or tradition.

to give anonymously and in secret as to not blow your own horn or impress others with false generosity."

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Thats one reason I dont care for the CFC (a federal charity drive), people either seem to give because everyone else is or to meet some squadron/base-wide dollar goal so the Squadron CO/Wing King can say "My squadron/wing met and exceeded our goal for this year". Also, some ask me why I don't give to the CFC....Well, because the CFC isn't the only place to give to charity, and quite frankly who I give to and how much is none of anyones business. Thinking about this also makes me wonder how many man-hours were wasted by federal employees trying to get "100% contact" for the CFC. Im sure all those hours could have been better used doing federal or volunteer work...but Im getting off the subject.

Another thing you can add to that list is not giving because of beneficial tax writeoffs.