The Wisdom of the Giveaway

The Indian Giver

Let there be no purpose in giving save reciprocity.
For to a people whose spirituality lies within Lifes wholeness
Who share the gifts of the sky and the mountains and the seas and the forests
Who exchange abundance in the circle of animal brethren
Giving is not a matter of pure altruism and benevolence
But a mutual responsibility
To make the world a better place.

Let there be no purpose in receiving save reciprocity.
For a society whose belief in humanity lies within the interdependence of people
Who hold to the deeply universal good of community values and
Where children are the generation of our People
Giving is seen in the entirety of receiving
Let the reciprocity of giving lie in a deepening of the Circle of Life.

For as with Life where
The root needs to receive in order for the plant to give fruit
It can be seen that in the honor of giving
As in the honor of receiving
Good is only realized by the contributions of both.

by Rebecca Adamson, 1991