THE COLORS OF RAMADHAN

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Nikon F3 | 135mm | Scanned negative

The original posting can be found HERE

The spirit of giving - how often have we heard this around the special months. Plenty often. Yet giving is not something we can do only around the special days. The act of giving can be performed on any given day of our lives.

Giving is a natural state of the soul. The soul gives just for the pleasure of giving. It does not expect anything in return nor does it need to receive anything in order to get a feeling that an equal exchange in energy has taken place. It is the ego/personality that relies and wants an "equal exchange". When the personality gives, it often needs something back in return. This may be something of monetary value or it can be a need for acceptance, recognition and often love. The genuine act of giving can not exist where there is a need to receive something in return. Genuine giving is an act of the soul and the soul is content in simply giving.

I have often heard people ask, "How can I give when I have nothing myself?" To this I say, if you have a soul (which we all do) then you are capable of giving. One does not need to give by giving only money. You can give by donating your time to a worthy cause. Volunteering is an excellent form of giving, one that has rewarding benefits for those on the receiving end. For example, look at the smiling face of a dying child in the hospital after a loving volunteer spent time with him or her. The elderly shine when volunteers spend time in nursing homes. Any way that you can use your life to touch another is giving at its finest, and this is something you can do everyday, not just on special days.

Many people give on a daily basis. A warm smile, a loving gesture, a compliment. These are all forms of giving. You do not only have to give these things to people you know. A warm smile goes a long way for a frustrated sales clerk who's had a long, hectic day. Often ones demeanor immediatly changes and brightens for the better when we give warmly of ourselves. Try giving a compliment to the stranger that is occupying the bus shelter with you. Watch and see how their energy suddenly lifts. You won't have been a witness to their day but I assure you you will have made their day brighter with one simple compliment.

Giving is an essential part of self-discovery. I say this because a part of self-discovery is about learning to give to yourself unconditionally. When you give to yourself unconditionally, you are able to give to others unconditionally, meaning without conditions and expectations, hence the natural state of the soul. Is it any wonder that the process of self-discovery revolves around the intricate understanding and experiential knowing of the soul in its state of wholeness. Giving is part of that wholeness.

Have a wonderful month of Ramadhan and may this year be a better Ramadhan for us then before.