Give Something Away Day

We are always scared to give up something we like or love. Man’s instinct is based on self-preservation and possession as promulgated by the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. As Winston Churchill explains, “We make a living by what we get.” But in retrospect, it is also true that “we make a life by what we give.”

When we give something away, we try to be a part of the recipient, who receives the gifts. Waiting for somebody at the bus stop, we are conscious of our sacrifice – giving away our precious time. When we help others, we make sure that they receive our assistance properly. Charles Dickens posits, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.”

But it’s true that we receive gifts from others. So, we must be grateful for the gifts we receive. In return, we must be prepared to respond in kind by giving away something. Albert Einstein opines, “It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.”

Can’t we think of our giving service to society? As Mahatma Gandhi said, society is enriched by co-operation, as well as fellow-feeling.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

India boasts a total population of 121 crores with an average literacy rate of 74.04%. Bengal has 19.98% of its population below the poverty line as compiled from the Annual Report of the Reserve Bank of India published in 2013. The official literacy rate for U.S.A in 2018 was 86% and it is home to 32.72 crores. (source: https://www.census.gov )

We do not have any specific day that we commemorate as a Charity day or a National Give Something Away Day as in the American refinement but at the least, we can dejunk our homes and give that old pair of trousers to that needy homeless guy with the ulterior motive of “Just giving”. Let us be like the two hands of an analog watch, which chimes with each other in unison.

Contributor:

Subhrajit Samanta