Are you a giver or a taker?

At the age of 60, wisdom seems to finally dawn on me that there are broadly two kinds of people one encounters: givers and takers. And the takers outnumber the givers by a wide margin.

In an era of shortage that our (60's, 70's and 80's) generation were born into, we were conditioned to push jostle and grab because there was never enough for everyone. So not only would we grab for ourselves but hoard. The supply side has since improved, but as they say, habits die hard.

By the way, takers are not really bad guys. Their position is, that they will give after they have enough for themselves. But God and nature (depending on which side on the faith scale you are) conspire such that these people are never satisfied.

Most people do not realize that giving doesn't come "after I am fully taken care of". It is a spirit of sharing of what one has. And happiness finally one realizes does not depend on what you possess, but rather is a state of mind.

Unfortunately, transitioning from being a taker to a giver is struggle and a long and difficult journey. The good intention may be there, but the act of actually doing it is rare. Such people do a few acts of kindness periodically to soothe a guilty conscience, but then that is generally about it.

On the other hand, the giver generally doesn't go astray. Giving is generally second nature to such people, even if they are of limited means. The world is vastly blessed by such.