Giving enriches you

When seen from above the world in which we live is divided into squares; big squares, medium

squares, little squares. Sometimes their borders are clearly outlined other times they are somewhat

vague. Each square is occupied by a community sometimes consisting of a few people sometimes

restricted to just one person. That is how we live, each his own space. We tend to say: ‘this is my land, this is my yard,’ etc.

With each in our own square we show off how well we can take care of ourselves. These squares are the shop windows for our egotism and complacency. To the people who do without, those who lost or never had it we say: ‘my land, my yard is full, enough is enough’. We shut our boundaries locking them out. The few people who do open their doors and offer help are considered naive and idealistic. The government claims that their actions are illegal. Even when we see desperate attempts at survival, watch how others risk their lives, even then we quench our feelings of humanity and call them fortune seekers. We reproach those who help, accusing them of encouragement, wishing them to be

discouraging instead.

In our egocentric complacent attitude there is no room for humaneness or for mercy because it goes against our self-interest. Help offered comes with restrictions, we mean only to better ourselves. Those who are able to do something in return are allowed in. The people we can not keep out are put into

special centres so that it is unnecessary to meet them, to mingle with them. We can comfortably

continue projecting our fears and prejudices.

When we encounter these strangers, be it accidentally or otherwise and we have the courage to make eye contact or maybe even exchange a few words, a crack may appear in our armour, a small opening in the self-centred bunker in which we have ensconced ourselves. It requires courage to let the crack develop into a real opening because we are immediately reproached and alerted to the ‘responsibility’ thought up by our government. It is difficult to be humane, to be truly responsible.

Those who have opened their hearts and have been able to escape prejudices, those who have opened the borders of their square piece of land know that those ‘strangers’ are akin to us. They experience and know that giving enriches you and makes you happy.