We live in a culture where people are expected to give to others gifts of gratitude and expressions of love. Sometimes these gifts are accepted for what they are worth and other times they are not. We use that which others give us based on several factors. Among them are whether we perceive the gift as valuable, whether we can practically use the gift, or whether the gift is given earnestly and for the right reasons. Because of this there is not one explanation why certain attitudes about gifts exist. We should, however, understand that it is not for us to realize why a gift is given, but rather that someone thinks enough of us to give a gift in the first place. It is certain that if gifts are not accepted and used in a prudent and expeditious manner, then the gifts that are received will deteriorate or whither completely away.
Time has been is a very important part in the teachings of Jesus Christ pertaining to His coming and His departure from earth. Jesus clearly explained that once He ascended into Heaven that it would be a long period of time before he would return. He did not give a specific day or time. "In the parable of the Ten Talents time is referenced twice. "First, the master stayed away for a long time (Matthew 25:19). Second, the faithful servants immediately went to work to increase their master's money (Matthew 25:16-17)" (26). The talent, another key element, has taken on a new meaning in the present day. Originally, it was a measurement for money. It is now defined as an ability. The Master took into account what each servant could handle and distributed the talents accordingly (26).
Most of God's servants were given talents but only three of them are talked about in Matthew 25:14-30. God distributed talents to three servants. To one he gave five talents, to (Mack 2)another two, and to another one, according to their abilities (verses 14-16). According to Matthew Henry, God distributes goods diversely; "giving to one five, to another two, and to another one (3). And who knows why God distributed his talents in this way. J. Hampton Keathley says, "God suits his blessings to them in a wise an effectual ways" (1). We know that God could have dictated what each servant was going to do but he does not. The duties that men are called upon to do are based on their situations and the talents they receive.
In the first section of his book (What You Have Received as Gift, Give as Gift) really make an impact on my views on living a fulfilled life. Everyone has a purpose and a gift on this life and everyone should know that they are somebody and everyone should know this to fulfill a good life. Everyone should work together and use our strengths to help others. God gave all of us a different and unique talent or gift and we should place that gift on others as God has done to us. When we showcase our gifts and talents, we should be grateful and show humility. We should not gloat our talents, but instead help others in order to gain a better understanding of others and the world around us. As Gula says “Gratitude is the virtue that gladly recognizes everything we have received as gifts to be shared, not possessions to be hoarded. Gratitude remembers, too, that God is the giver of these gifts” (Gula 30). My view on this is that gratitude and humility are one of the core values on living the good life because we can use these talents to gain understanding of our own self and others around us. Like God, we can use our gifts to also gain companionship, which God believes to be in reaching a good
In Life without Chiefs Marvin Harris demonstrates human evolution from egalitarian existence to present day capitalist structure. He states that for 98% of human existence, our ancestors lived in small foraging communities (Harris, 2009). Where everyone knew each other and people gave things knowing when they needed something those same people would reciprocate. They lived in an egalitarian society where everyone is equal and had the same rights and opportunities. An interesting aspect of our ancestors was they didn’t say “thank you” to the giver, and it wasn’t because they didn’t appreciate it, but that same person who was the giver one day could be the receiver the next. To them “saying ‘thank you’ is very rude. It suggest, first that one has calculated the amount of a gift, and second, that one did not expect the donor to be so generous” (Harris, 274). And again the reason they do this is because everyone is equal, no matter who provides the goods it is evenly distributed so that no one is superior or think they that authority over the band. Harris gives an example from our previo...
The Europeans saw it as we see it today. I have blankets, you have fur, I will give you x amount of blankets for y about of furs. The Indians saw it very differently, they saw it more like how we view Christmas. I give you a gift, you give me a gift of something near the same value, not because you have to, but because you valued the relationship that you have with the other person and that gave you an obligation to gift that person back with something that is reasonably the same
In my opinion time can be shaped quite a bit by the artist; after all, man is never time’s slave. (Lion in the Garden 70)
To show politeness when accepting a gift, in Taiwanese culture, people reject couple times before accepting it to show that the receiver is not greedy. However, American culture is opposite from Taiwanese culture. In American culture, the rejecting a gift is considered as rude.
Proverbs 1:20-33 is a climactic telling of what happens to those who do not fear the Lord and seek knowledge as said in Proverbs 1:7. Wisdom is not just talked about in the first chapter, but found throughout the book of Proverbs. Throughout there is also a common theme about what will happen to those who do not choose wisdom. This pericope is basically a set up for the rest of the book in regards to what happens to those who do not choose wisdom. Wisdom is also personified as a woman. Woman wisdom will seek after those who are simple and hate knowledge with patience for only so long; once she has had enough she will present to them one last option that is severe in hopes that they will change their ways.
...three hours. I think that these three hours were he highest point of his passions, because in that moment Jesus feels very well the abandonment of God the Father. After darkness, at ninth hour Matthew relates the last wards of Christ before of his death. The last word of Christ shows how much he has suffered for our sins. Matthew writes only that Jesus cried loud one more time and after that he died, but John writes that before Jesus gave up the ghost, he said "It is finished". Jesus said that his sufferings were finished, that fulfill all the plan of man's salvation made by God the Father, from beginning.
accept the gifts from their children with no hesitation, how eager they are to compliment and
If something breaks we don’t just go buy a new one, we fix it until it meets our standards and then some. This is a big difference between my culture and my society because it seems that if something breaks on someone they just throw it away and then go get a new one, no matter what it is. In my culture we can’t always do that and i think not always having that option to just go buy something if it breaks makes us a lot more thankful for something when it is in working order. In this society people are not always thankful for what they have which is really sad if you think about it because people should be thankful for what they have no matter who or what it might
Since I can remember, giving is better than receiving, use things and love people, but do not love things and use people, loving others is loving yourself, and sharing is caring has been told to me. My mother always told us to keep this close to our hearts and we would be content with what we had. What she taught me helped me become selfless, respectful to everyone no matter age, gender, race, or religion, encouraging to others, and helped me become
his wealth. To the first servant, he gave five talents2 of gold, to the second, two talents, and to
that person appreciated the gift and it would be almost like a gift to you.
...esult, the more directly one sees their personal efforts impact someone else, the more happiness one can gain from the experience of giving. Sometimes generosity requires pushing past a feeling of reluctance because people all instinctively want to keep good things for themselves, but once one is over this feeling, they will feel satisfaction in knowing that they have made a difference in someone else’s life. However, if one lives without generosity but is not selfish, they can still have pleasure from other virtues.
... (2001) showed that grateful individuals were especially appreciative of the contribution of others to their happiness. Expressing gratitude and reviewing three good things highlighted this, and reminded me to show my loved ones my gratitude.
Based on my own experience, I found that, in my childhood, when I got new toys from my parents, I can be really happy and satisfied, because I was the “taker”. However, when I grew up, and gave my parents gifts, I felt a sense of meaning except happiness, because I was the “giver”. I think it is because society has taught us that giving is a noble behavior. Giving something means making others satisfied and happy. Giving makes society more harmonious. Reciprocal giving can make the world more peaceful. The only way to realize our personal value is to make contributions to society. What about taking? Taking mean acquire something without any cost, therefore, takers are usually happier. From this essay, I think it is better to be a giver than just become a