Give Yourself Away

Charity.

Merry Christmas to all!  Charity is a word which animates our parlance this time of year.  We speak of times of giving; we speak of giving back.  We speak as though charity is a task which must be undertaken, something which is apart from us, which we must make an effort to bring forth in our lives.  When we speak of charity, we think of those who have and those who do not; for what is charity without a need and a donor, a hero and a victim, a success and a failure?  In this viewpoint of charity, we can only be charitable some of the time, as most of the time we need to be concerned with accumulation of time and resources so that we may be charitable with them.  Without those tangible goods and services, what do we have to offer?  This brings us to understand charity as something we engage in when we have the time or once we have accumulated sufficient resources, so we feel comfortable enough to give some away.  It relegates charitable acts as a commodity; one which is doled out when convenient.  Those who have this commodity decide if and when they wish to give it; those who do not possess it, have no opportunity to be charitable at all.  When we give, we must decide who we will give our commodity (charity) to.  Which victims of society do we most wish to aid in their time of need?

Perhaps there is a different way to look at charity.  Perhaps charity is a way of life.  Perhaps charity is found in gratitude.  Perhaps being grateful is not sitting around thinking how appreciative we are with our life, but it is honoring the gifts we are given by maximizing their potential so that they give back to our communities and society as a whole.  Perhaps charity then is having integrity to honor our own gifts and walk the path which we were designed to walk so that our genius has a positive impact in the world.

Perhaps the commodity which you can be charitable with is yourself; perhaps you are that commodity which you can give freely and openly throughout your life, without picking and choosing who you give it to and whether you have enough of it to give.  Perhaps maximizing your own potential regardless of your circumstances is the best way to make a difference in a world which turns everything into a commodity the likes of which can be given and taken away.  In this way, everyone is afforded the opportunity to be charitable, and we all can be charitable, all of the time.

But we must invest in ourselves.  We must observe our lives as a reflection of who we are and know that by maximizing our potential we can make a difference.  This is true charity, the giving of the self.  In a society ripe with expectations and standardized tracks of success, this work of holding your integrity is difficult.  In this type of charity there is no instant gratification.  In this journey, our life is our work, our work is our purpose, and our expression of that purpose at all costs is our charity.  Having integrity in that purpose regardless of personal gain or loss brings your unique contributing into the world.

So, this Christmas, ask yourself if you wish to be charitable; charitable with yourself, with your life, through the belief that you were gifted something special which can make a difference in the world. Give the gift of yourself freely regardless of outcome; this is when you embody the idea of charity, the moment you value yourself enough to gift your life to the world and know that it makes a difference.

In developing our autonomy, we begin to understand that being who we are links us to everyone, beyond ideologies and beliefs.  Being autonomous is acting of your own volition.  Being independent is having the integrity to honoring your personal journey.  Being charitable allows you to step into that journey and allow others to walk their own path.  Ironically, in the discovery of the self, our independence and our autonomy, we discover how our lives are not possible without everyone around us.  We discover that the more others follow their path of genius, the easier it becomes to follow ours.  We no longer interfere.  We begin to see the commonalities between each other beyond superficial ideas and we can recognize a shared vision and the manifestation of that vision, our society.  This leads us to understand that we are all responsible for the condition of every member of our community.  How sobering and equally empowering this is.  We are interconnected.  We are family.  This is why when we are charitable with our lives, we can impact the world.

Charity.  Giving yourself away.