Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Give and Receive
According to legend, a desert wanderer discovered a spring of cool, crystal-clear water. It tasted so good, he filled a leather container with the precious liquid so he could bring it to the king. After a long journey, he presented his gift to the king, who drank it with great pleasure and lavishly thanked the wanderer, who went away with a happy heart.
The king’s son tasted the water and spit it out. It had picked up the smell of the old leather canteen and had become foul. The boy asked his father why he pretended to like the awful-tasting water. The king said, “Son, that man gave me a gift from his heart. It wasn’t the water I enjoyed; it was the sweet taste of his generosity. When someone gives you something with genuine love, the thing given is simply the container. The real gift is the thought inside.”
The wisdom of the king’s insight is best experienced when we get a gift from a child who loves us. Whether it’s a ceramic tray, a macaroni pin, or a crayon drawing, the purity of the child’s sweet intentions generates a form of joy we call gratitude.
Yet in most other settings we receive gifts without experiencing genuine appreciation. Consequently, our “thank yous” are simply ritualistic courtesies. One reason is we’re conditioned to value gifts based on their cost. Another is that gifts are often given to meet an obligation or as a form of investment rather than as expressions of generous affection.
Wouldn’t the holidays be so more joyous if we gave and received gifts as if they really were the thought that counts?
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
The “What Will Matter” Poem
http://whatwillmatter.com/about/the-poem/
http://whatwillmatter.com/category/commentary/
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bởi Viện Josephson trên Tháng Chín 27, 2013
Điều gì sẽ quan trọng
Con trai của nhà vua nếm thử nước và nhổ nó ra. Nó đã bốc mùi của căng tin da cũ và trở nên hôi thối. Cậu bé hỏi cha mình tại sao ông lại giả vờ thích nước có vị khủng khiếp. Nhà vua nói:
"Con trai, người đàn ông đó đã cho ta một món quà từ trái tim của mình. Đó không phải là nước tôi thích; Đó là hương vị ngọt ngào của sự hào phóng của anh ấy. Khi ai đó cho bạn một cái gì đó với tình yêu chân thành, thứ được trao chỉ là cái hộp đựng. Món quà thực sự mới là suy nghĩ nhớ đến và tình cảm bên trong."
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