THE ART OF GIVING
While dining with an old colleague and a friend conversation drifted on to how the other half lived, with half the world struggling to eke out a living, not to mention the starving millions.
He mentioned three famous names donating money to good causes.
Bill Gates as we all know has donated millions for charitable purposes. What I didn’t know was that Frank Sinatra, the famous actor and singer, at a point in his life donated all his fees for noble causes. Raymond Burr, the late actor of Perry Mason fame, too, donated all his earnings, after a point in his life, to needy projects. I trust there are many more similar examples.
We often criticise western values and western lack of compassion, compared to the Indian culture. But these three, beacons of virtue in my opinion, stand out head and shoulders above their Indian counterparts whose hunger for wealth is insatiable.
These are commendable acts, although many would say they are giving away money that don’t really need. However, greed knows no barriers and many still wouldn’t be as benevolent as the above three, despite their good fortune. Therefore, we ought to acknowledge their contribution to society, giving something back to the world that made them great and famous.
Giving and sharing whilst denying yourself of life’s basic comforts is a supreme sacrifice which only a few can make. These are Satto Gunni (Sattvic) individuals who give back to the society much more than they receive. Alas, they are few and far between.
And yet there are souls who only give and take little or nothing, one in millions. These are rare souls ones who elevate to the supreme status of Param Pad. I salute them, just as I also admire all the above mentioned names, no matter which walk of life they come from. I wish I could follow their example.
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‘arshi’ 10 August 2016