A Seemingly Parentless Generation

To understand why our generations lack of education about the desire to give is so harmful we should think of the relationship between the desire to give and the desire to receive like the relationship between a mother and her child.

In a healthy relationship, the baby knows her mother and knows whom to turn when she is hungry, cold, or tired. But what if the baby had no mother? To whom would she turn to satisfy her needs? Who would feed her, clothe her, keep her warm and love her? She would have to take care of herself. What would the chances of survival be for such a poor child?

Like a motherless child, humanity has been deprived of guidance, trying to learn how to survive by trial and error. In our efforts to find a sustainable order in life, we have tried living in clans, slavery, Greek democracy, feudalism, capitalism, communism, modern democracy, fascism, and even Nazism.

We have sought solace for our fears of the unknown in religion, mysticism, philosophy, science, technology, art, in every area of human engagement. All of these ideologies and pursuits promised us a happy life while none have kept that promise.

Without being aware of the desire to give and the need to balance ourselves with it, as with all other elements in nature, we have been acting solely on our desire to receive for ourselves. Thus, we have created deformed societies rampant with exploitation and tyranny.

It is true that humanity has made many great achievements, such as modern medicine and abundant food and energy production. But the more we have advanced, the more we have misused our achievements, ever widening the gaps between us and increasing social injustice.

It is no one’s fault that human societies are inherently unjust. Without knowing about the desire to give, we are left with but one option in life. To receive for ourselves what we can whenever possible. It is now up to each and all of us to be the change.

Hence, those who are exploited today will be exploiting tomorrow if they come into power, because when we work with only the desire to receive then all we want is to receive. We must love to give above all differences instead.