The true Art in Giving is to give from the heart without any expectation

[Farhana Haque]

The true Art in Giving is to give from the heart without any expectation

True giving comes from the same place inside you as your deepest happiness. They are inexplicably intertwined. A gift is something that is enjoyed twice. First by the giver who revels in the pleasure of giving something special and then also enjoyed by the person who receives the gift. A very special form of giving takes the form of small, personal acts of kindness. Very often it is not money or belongings that people need, it's the things that can't be seen, such as advice reassurance, a kind word, compliments or a smile.

The act of giving doesn’t have to be limited to an exchange of presents at Christmas time or Birthdays. You can treat every person you come into contact with as someone who you can give a gift to. You may be a bit skeptical, wondering what exactly do you have to give? Everybody has something of value for another person. It could be a kind word, a simple smile, some appreciation, the sharing of some special knowledge, even a helping hand or a bit of support during a difficult emotional time.
                                

Since May 2013, ‘Art of Giving’ has been constantly. Spreading happiness amongst the underprivileged. The new initiative Bag of Happiness gives the experience of “Learning - a lifelong process”. Keeping up with the values of education this years. Theme for the International Day of Art of Giving is #Bag Of Happiness knowledge and an individual acquisition of knowledge. Bags carry books and books carry knowledge to unlock happiness. Giving is happiness, isn’t it? This one-day initiative helps creates the much needed awareness to establish the fact that learning indeed is a lifelong constant process. “Bag of happiness” will be the enabler to such acause.
This 17 May, International Day of Art of Giving, AOG community all over Odisha, India, Bangladesh and the world shall give a bag of happiness to those who can’t afford it or those who can afford it but are not buying it. The people inspired by AOG and the philosophy of Dr. Achyuta Samanta, its Founder and promoter, shall join hands to spread happiness by distributing “Bag of happiness” to their capacities and mobilizing contributions from the like-minded people.

You have something to give everyone. The act of true giving is something wonderful and amazing. With most things in this world, there is only a limited amount of what you can give away. Fortunately, generosity and kindness are not bound to these same material limitations. One of life’s most basic laws is "every single act of love, kindness and generosity will multiply and return to you many times over ". The more you give the happier you will feel. Many thousands of years ago a great sage in Babylon said "The reward of charity depends entirely upon the extent of the kindness in it."

It is one of life's wonderful paradoxes that you limit the power of your giving by having an expectation of getting something in return. When you give without any thought or desire for something back, your returns will be truly limitless. Your life is like a river of energy, continually flowing. What happens when a river stops moving? It get very muddy, and stagnant. A fast flowing river is full of life and clear water. Where would you rather drink? The acts of giving and receiving are a continuous process of circulation that continues the flow of your life’s energies. For one person to receive someone else has to give. It’s a cycle of energy that flows continually on wards. Pause for as moment as you read this, and take a big, deep breath. Hold it for as long as you possibly can. As you hold it inside, notice how uncomfortable you begin to feel when you are holding on to something that is meant to be released.

Now, breath out, completely and hold your breath with your lungs fully emptied. Feel how uncomfortable you feel when you are resisting taking in something that you need.