Helping others is the greatest self contentment!
What we give to others is our biggest investment because it will be returned back to us manifold by the Bank of God!
By: Meer Abass
There is a Chinese saying that says that, “If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody.” For centuries, the greatest thinkers have suggested the same thing: Happiness is found in helping others.
And so we learn early: It is better to give than to receive. The venerable aphorism is drummed into our heads from our first slice of a shared birthday cake. But is there a deeper truth behind the truism?
The resounding answer is yes. Scientific research provides compelling data to support the anecdotal evidence that giving is a powerful pathway to personal growth and lasting happiness. Through fMRI technology, we now know that giving activates the same parts of the brain that are stimulated by food and sex. Experiments show evidence that altruism is hardwired in the brain—and it’s pleasurable. Helping others may just be the secret to living a life that is not only happier but also healthier, wealthier, more productive, and meaningful.
But it’s important to remember that giving doesn’t always feel great. The opposite could very well be true: Giving can make us feel depleted and taken advantage of. Our passion should be the foundation for our giving. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving. It’s only natural that we will care about this and not so much about that, and that’s OK. It should not be simply a matter of choosing the right thing, but also a matter of choosing what is right for us. The gift of time is often more valuable to the receiver and more satisfying for the giver than the gift of money. We don’t all have the same amount of money, but we all do have time on our hands, and can give some of this time to help others—whether that means we devote our lifetimes to service, or just give a few hours each day or a few days a year. Selfless giving, in the absence of self-preservation instincts, easily becomes overwhelming.
We have all felt the dread that comes from being cajoled into giving, such as when friends ask us to donate to their fundraisers. In these cases, we are more likely to give to avoid humiliation rather than out of generosity and concern. This type of giving doesn’t lead to a warm glow feeling; more likely it will lead to resentment. Instead we should set aside time, think about our options, and find the best charity for our values. I don’t want to discourage people from giving to good causes just because that doesn’t always cheer us up. If we gave only to get something back each time we gave, what a dreadful, opportunistic world this would be! Yet if we are feeling guilt-tripped into giving, chances are we will not be very committed over time to the cause.
It’s easy to get so wrapped up in fixing your own life that you forget about helping others. And while it’s important to put yourself first sometimes, it’s even more important to help others whenever you can.
Being generous isn’t even always about altruism – becoming more generous and compassionate will have real tangible benefits in your own life,
We live in a world where both kinds of people live, the people who spend their lives lavishly and the people who hardly get three meals a day. The second kind of people cannot even afford the basic requirements. One cannot make these kinds of people sumptuous but at least ease them by lending a helping them. We can assist the poor to achieve the essentials of life. We live in a world which is full of humanitarian needs; numerous people are dying of hunger every minute. Helping a single person to get food to eat and place to live can bring wonders to their life.
It is the 21st century but the social era persisted from early times. No matter how strong someone is; at some or the other point, he has to seek for some kind of help from others. Offering a helping hand to the needy is the greatest job one can do to achieve inner peace and satisfaction. There are many people who are deprived of even the basic needs. On the other hand, there even is a huge crowd that has plentiful luxuries. In India, the rich get richer while the poor get poorer.
How to help the Poor and Needy?
Not only in monetary terms but apart from financial conditions, there are eclectic people who seek for help and needs to be helped too. Happiness grows when it is shared. A sense of sharing needs to be developed in every individual for both personal and social uplifting. This has to be inculcated in every person right in the beginning ages of growth and maturity. Kids should be taught how to help the people who are not well off as them. Working class should take a step ahead to help their colleagues understand the areas they are not that good at. Old aged people should impart their experiences to the younger generation those who are in real need of it.
Help can be of any type; it is a personal choice to opt for it. A self- centered and shrewd attitude might take you ahead in the career graph or let you achieve personal development; but, satisfaction and content can be achieved only when there is a social development. Collective efforts of being a help to the neighborhood of the needy ones will surely broaden the perspective of people and sow a better future, a better world and a better place to be at.
The Joy of Helping Needy !!
Some simple tasks could be carried out in everyday life by every individual will surely help the needy ones. Children should donate their old toys and clothes to the kids those who are poor and cannot afford to have all these luxuries. They should save some portion of their pocket money and offer it to abandoned or orphan fellow kids. People at offices should consider their house keeping staff, catering staff, transport staff etc and be nice to them. Home makers should engage some part of their time in teaching academically deprived students. A couple who is pretty rich can take the responsibility of educating a poor child who has immense potential.
There are several ways in which one can be a help for the other. All that is to be done is understand its importance and follow your positive instincts.
The writer is Assistant Professor, Department of English, Govt. Degree College Handwara ([email protected])
