Giving Liberates

“I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.” -Maya Angelou

When you give to others you reduce their burdens but you also reduce your own.

There is guilt we all carry, even if your mom was not a nun like mine was.  Having received the gift of life carries an equal sense of responsibility and obligation, a weight  and a foreboding (as there is only one outcome).  And if you have been gifted with intelligence or artistic talent or athletic ability there is a need to develop it but also a responsibility with the gift.  Then when you succeed with that gift that you have honed over time, there is often a feeling of unworthiness for the disproportionate rewards that often result.

Giving to others from our bounty can help alleviate this.  “From those to whom much is given, much is expected”  Not just in terms of developing our talents but also sharing the benefits thereof.

My favorite quote from Mohamad Ali is applicable here: service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on earth. Share of your blessings to others that have not been gifted as we have.