Selfless Generosity

"You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want" - Zig Ziglar

I might ask you: what is really our purpose here on Earth? Perhaps, some of you will answer these: to live life as it is and have fun with my girls and with my friends; to marry a beautiful girl; to finish my studies and have a great job; to have a happy family; etc. But looking deeply and putting yourself to the moment where you want to be-- are you happy?; are you satisfied?

Jesus Christ Himself died in the cross just to save us from our sins.
Did He do this in order to be famous? Try to think.

I could say that God created us in order to share his love and happiness. But what is really happiness? Perhaps, you will say that happiness is finding the right person as my life-long partner. And probably some of you will say that happiness comes from achieving our dreams-- dreams of becoming a successful lawyer, a celebrated actor, a famous billionaire, etc. But true happiness is not meant that way. If your perception of happiness comes from your desires of material and worldly things-- that's not true happiness but selfish cravings of the ego that will provide you nothing but meaningless life.

I believe that happiness comes from sharing true love to others. What does it mean? Well, true love is totally giving yourself to God and to others without any thoughts of receiving something in return. You want to court a girl because you love her as she is and you want her to be your life-long partner. You try your best to make her feel that you are the right person for her; and to make her trust that you will be a good husband for her. Dile nimo panguyaban ang babaye kay gusto lang ka makig-sex niya. You try your best nga ma-inlove ang babaye nimo para ihatag niya tanan apil ang iyang lawas. You provide her with chocolates, flowers, romantic quotes, pakitang-tao nga buotan kayo ka. Kung nakuha na nimo ang babaye. Wala na. You leave her and that's it. That's never love but selfish motive. And do you think maayo na kaayo ka? Macho na kaayo ka? Lipay na kaayo ka kay laki najud ka? Lipay na kaayo ka kay naka-experience naka anang butanga? Well, wa ka kabawo nga nasunog na diay imong kalag sa impyerno.

Why am I so irratated about this? I am not saying that I'm totally and perfectly pure inside out-- that's too hypocritical. Consider gaining your own interest of satisfying your lust and by the time you lost interest with that girl, leaving her in pain-- consider its impact to the girl's life, to her family, to her friends, to your friends, and even to your own life. Do you think it is just a small issue. Well, it's not because you are destroying the entire dignity of life. Other young innocent people are doing the same because they thought that it is just okay because you are doing it. The girls lost trust on the boys (including you) because of your lustful desires. Many people are angry with the world because they feel they are victims of cruelty. The one mistake that you did has a great impact to life and to God-- the provider of life.

Another example that I could talk about selfless generosity is with regards to parents. It is true that some parents are just too selfish concerning their move in giving their sons and daughters a bright future. They try to provide him/her education but they are the ones choosing the course without considering his/her choice. "Ngano man jud ganahan man ka anang music nga dile mana maka-provide nimo og dakong sapi, kinahanglan maglawyer ka para ikaw nay mo-manage sa atong negosyo." Do you think it will provide happiness to your children? You cannot dictate them of what they want to pursue because you do not own them-- only God does and you are just an instrument created by God to fulfill His goal of attaining happiness to all.

Furthermore, many idealistic students study hard in order to get the most competitive grades thus, they could have a great job that provides them lots of money. But still it will not provide meaning into your life. After all of those hardships and broken relationships because you want to achieve your dream of becoming a doctor and have a happy family and beautiful wife-- do you think you are happy? Probably, this is one of the causes of harmful competition among the students. Most of those students with honors try their best to have good scores because they are so obsessed with their grades. When you base your success on competitive grades, honors and awards-- full learning can hardly happen. When you become so obsessed about getting a high grade and the odds are against you-- you may start to cheat and do something that is unethical unya wala na ka kabawo nga gitamakan na diay nimo ang uban just for you to achieve a high score. You know what, it just only results to disaster. It will never provide you true success. One beautiful quote that I could relate to this is a quote from Rancho from the Bollywood movie titled "3 idiots" that goes: "Follow excellence and success will chase you." And when you say excellence-- that is honesty, humility, God-fearing, openness, etc.

Another example that will remind us about the destruction that it can bring into our lives if we continually focus on building material wealth is the life of Solomon. King Solomon was one of the wisest persons stated in the bible. He is also one of the richest and most influential in the olden times. He had 700 official wives and 300 concubines. He built a great kingdom. We might think that he was very happy because he was so blessed. But what did he say by the time he was dying? He said: "Life is meaningless." From all those treasures that he had during his lifetime-- he just only said that life is meaningless.

You could try asking yourself right now. Yes, you have high scores, great achievements, many titles-- but you don't have a wife, a family, and even friends. Yes, you have a nice car, a big house, a beautiful wife, lots of money, a wonderful job, healthy children but you couldn't even gave quality time for them because you spend almost all of your day managing your business affairs. Yes, many beautiful girls had came into your life and one by one you are able to taste them and still you are looking for the perfect one-- do you think you are satisfied and happy? Perhaps, you would end up like what King Solomon's life was.

We don't have to waste our lives spending on material things that have no meaning. Our lives are transient and we are so blessed that God gave these to us. Are we not ashamed of ourselves? We are not the true owners of our lives thus, we do not have the right to destroy them so much so the lives of others. 

Heaven is only within our reach. However, it seems that our lives are like hell. And what makes our lives like that? It is because of our unconscious cravings to material things. This has brought us much pain and made us grow into selfishness and greed that destroyed the lives of many people, not just human beings but also the other creations of God especially nature.

All Rights Reserved by Frances O. Ponce