As Long As I Can Give I Am A Happy Man (A Personal Reflection)

Paul Saver
January 26, 2011

One of my favorite quotes comes from the great Martin Luther King who said:

"Not everyone can be famous but everyone can become great because everyone can serve".

I want to share a personal reflection. Recently (and even now) I have been surrounded by the tragedy caused by the floods in Queensland, Australia, where I live. More than 30 people died. Tens of thousands of people had their homes destroyed and in many cases most or all of their possessions. Though far removed from my current reality, I understand the tragedy caused by severe flooding in Brazil about the same time is even worse with more than 1,000 people who died. Can anyone in Brazil report about that?

Many of the testimonies of the people that I listened to recently who were flood victims, the ones who appeared to be suffering the most were people who seemed to be confused and said things like "I just don't know what to do now". Images of crying, distressed, depressed and resentful people fill my mind.

I think too of the millions of people the world over who are stressed because they are starving, without proper drinking water or a safe place to live. I think of the crime, violence, death and fear that grips the hearts and minds of so many. I could go on and on. You have heard it all before.

I know that all of the above is far from the reality of millions of others whose daily struggle is on a different level. Their stress may be because they are working too hard for so little and are struggling to pay the bills or because of strained relationships, lack of self belief, poor self image, a sick and/or overweight body, lack of meaning or purpose in life and so on. All these things predispose human beings to live in various states of mental depression.

Just yesterday as I was hovering in and out of a depressed state of mind and as I reflected on all these things and a whole lot more I asked myself the question: "what is the worst thing that can happen to me?" The answer came to me in a flash and within that answer was the guidance I needed to go forward no matter what. The answer to the question "what is the worst thing that can happen to you?" is "when you can no longer give!"

I thought that "if I were to lose my arms, legs and voice, that's okay because if I still have a head with a face that can smile, I can give. More than that, if I have a mouth I can hold a paint brush and write love messages".

Even if I were to lose my physical body and go to the spirit world, I can continue to give. From this point of view, I only ever lose when I decide that "I have nothing to give".