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-Keith Pelczarski
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Steinbeck on giving vs. receiving
On Christmas I wrote a post about some ways to give to those less fortunate than ourselves. Today as I dredged through my neglected inbox, I found some insightful perspective on giving and receiving from an excellent book excerpt sent by DelanceyPlace.com. The excerpt was from John Steinbeck's eulogy for Ed Ricketts published in The Log from the Sea of Cortez:I have tried to isolate and inspect the great talent that was in Ed Ricketts, that made him so loved and needed and makes him so missed now that he is dead. Certainly he was an interesting and charming man, but there was some other quality that far exceeded these. I have thought that it might be his ability to receive, to receive anything from anyone, to receive gracefully and thankfully, and to make the gift seem very fine. Because of this everyone felt good in giving to Ed--a present, a thought, anything.I never thought about it like that, but it makes a lot of sense. I still have a lot of work to do to become a better receiver, but I'll start by saying big thanks not only to DelanceyPlace.com for this and many other thought-provoking book excerpts, but also to Tracy for turning me on to them.
Perhaps the most overrated virtue in our list of shoddy virtues is that of giving. Giving builds up the ego of the giver, makes him superior and higher and larger than the receiver...It is so easy to give, so exquisitely rewarding. Receiving, on the other hand, if it is well-done, requires a fine balance of self-knowledge and kindness. It requires humility and tact and great understanding of relationships. In receiving, you cannot appear, even to yourself, better or stronger or wiser than the giver, although you must be wiser to do it well.
It requires self-esteem to receive--not self-love but just a pleasant acquaintance and liking for oneself.
-- John Steinbeck, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, Appendix, ""About Ed Ricketts"", Penguin Books, 1951, pp. 272-3
While I'm thanking Tracy for tipping me to good online brain food, I should also take this opportunity to plug Knowledge News. Those folks put together background research briefs on subjects relating to current events. You can subscribe via email or get the RSS feed. Another great source for mental stimulation, and it'll help you sound wicked smaht at your next cocktail party.
:: Keith 22:19 [link] :: ::