The joy of sharing

THOSE who are familiar with the parable of "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, there is a part where the priest asked Kino to share his wealth.

The young fisherman was initially poor, but the big black pearl he found really changed his life.

“I hope thou wilt remember to give thanks, my son, to Him who has given thee this treasure, and to pray for guidance in the future,” quotes the priest.

It brings the idea of sharing and there is nothing new about it.

The concept of sharing has been practised since the first creation of men. According to Abrahamic religions, Adam eats the forbidden fruit with Eve.

Such act gives them additional knowledge of sharing. It also holds that they are similarly accountable for their act.

Back to earth, often times, no matter what faith or belief one possesses, one should have a piece of heart to share what they have.

Giving is always being understood as charity, alms, donations, etc, an act to lessen the pains of deprived people.

Actually, giving bears a much more noble connotations.

People give and share what they have as a kind of gesture. Practising generosity is believed as a way to reach enlightenment.

It eradicates one's selfishness and greed. It is driven by attitude and behaviour, beliefs, norms, upbringing, and education.

Giving also includes a variety of simple acts one might not consider as an act of giving. It doesn’t matter how much or what you give; every single tiny thing helps and really counts.

Even something like putting in extra effort, like doling out free umbrellas on a rainy day or tipping a RM5 note to a Grab deliveryman, is more than enough to make the latter smile.

In a bigger picture, giving to the poor can contribute to a better society. Through the practice, many public facilities, educational institutions, and social services such as schools, medical colleges, and universities can be formed, established and enlarged.

Even in developed countries like Korea, Australia, and Singapore, the governments are unable to offer essential amenities to all citizens, especially in education and health sector.

So, the helping hand is a definite.

The notion of giving, especially helping those in needs, must be ingrained. The box office, “Pay it forward”, reveals that it is a moral beauty by putting others first.

It strongly laments that each person can make a change in the world by doing good. And the catalyst in the story is only a small boy.

In other words, you don’t have to be Mother Teresa or any philanthropists when it comes to giving. Some don’t have much to give, yet still give more than those who can.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once acclaimed, “Save yourself from hellfire by giving even half a date-fruit in charity.”

Give the moment you have the chance to give.

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Han Jung Shun and Abdul Mutalib Embong are language teachers at Centre for Foundation and Continuing Education (PPAL), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT).

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.