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KIDS OF CHARACTER 7/6/2009
Giving Versus Getting “How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.” You may be surprised to learn that the extraordinary scientific thinker, Albert Einstein, authored those significant words. While Einstein is revered for genius thinking that continues to shape scientific thought, we can appreciate his wisdom-filled comments on the character theme of cooperation and caring for others. I recall a book I read in my early 20’s that provided a lasting impression. The book was Giving Yourself Away by Claude Bristol. Its message was simple: If you seek a life of adventure and permanent satisfaction, find ways to give yourself away in acts of cooperation, encouragement, and support to others. Engage your time and invest your energies and talents toward positively affecting the lives of others. While the book’s message seemingly states the obvious, its practice is far more difficult to put into action. Why? Most people live their days in the manner in which Californians ride the freeways. Each of us is insulated in their own auto, going somewhere important and disinterested about everybody else on the road. Unfortunately, it is often the natural disaster or terrible situation that draws people together in support of one another. Is there a magic key that unlocks the character quality of cooperation toward others? Yes, there is. The key is changing a mental attitude. The mental attitude shift occurs as we practice engaging others as people, not objects that we want to manipulate. Engaging others as objects to manipulate produces the mental attitude of getting. When we engage others as people, we create the mental attitude of giving. Get or Give. We choose. A child can immeasurably grow their character rudder by grabbing hold of the giving attitude at an early age. Its practice, initially observed in the behavior of a caring character mentor, leads a child to Einstein’s extraordinary discovery that, truly, we exist for each other.
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