Gifts
 

About 50 year ago, I learned a life lesson which has been something I have lived by since.

When I was a young lad, I collected baseball trading cards avidly. I spent most of my money (admittedly a small sum) on purchasing them. I would have stolen them if I felt myself nimble enough. I really coveted baseball cards.

I had a friend who also loved baseball cards. He had even less money to spend on them than I did. He also lacked an aptitude for crime.

Occasionally, when I had received my weekly stipend from my parents, I would treat my friend to a pack of baseball cards. It made him happy and it made me feel good to have done something for my friend. I will also note that the act of giving made me feel just a little superior to my friend.

One day I went to his house to hang out and his mother sent him to the store to make a purchase and told him that he could have the change. The change was enough for him to purchase two packs of baseball cards. (two packs of cards cost 10 cents and contained a total of 12 cards plus two pieces of bubble gum)

We rode to the store on our bicycles. My friend made his purchases and rode home.

Once having given his mother the items, he opened his packs of cards. We looked at each one to see what players he had gotten. There was one card which he got which I didn't have. I noted this and told him that it would be nice if he gave that card to me. He declined. He said that he didn't get that many cards and was going to keep all of those he did get.

I pointed out to him that I had, in the past, shared cards with him. That it would only be fair if he shared a card with me. His reply is what has struck with me.

"When you gave me the cards, if you expected something in return, then it wasn't a gift."

I had no answer for it and I thought about it often in the next 50 years.

I have learned the following from that statement:

1. If you are going to give something then it must be free and clear or it is not anything worth giving OR getting.

2. If you expect gratitude, you may be disappointed, if you demand it, then the gift isn't a gift.

3. Gifts are more for the giver than the receiver.

4. For the most part, when most individuals (also the government) give they expect something in return.

5. Most people who receive something from someone else are well aware of number 4 and resent it even if they are glad to receive that something.

6. Gifts (especially from the government) often come with an element of control.

Re: Gifts
 

You genuinely can give someone something without expecting something of similar value at a later date, it's just understandable that if certain circumstances change, you would expect the same kind of generosity in return; because you think it's the moral course of action.

Re: Gifts
 

Question DDA ... Do you still keep in contact with this pal of yours?

Re: Gifts
 

I believe the person you're referring to as not expecting anything back would be Jesus. Maybe not.

Re: Gifts
 

He lives nearby and we run into each other occasionally.

He is the dean of a small law school and has, in the past, asked me to sit as a judge for their moot court competition.

Re: Gifts
 

Yes you can. I do now.

However, government ALWAYS expects something in return.

Re: Gifts
 

If you're genuinely incapacitated then you're not really expected to do much. Other than obey the law or w/e.

Re: Gifts
 

Government still expects you to show your gratitude by supporting their continuance in power. In the U. S. this takes the form of accusing the other party of being evil people with no human compassion who are planning to strip the benefits from everyone who has any need at all.

Thus encouraging dependence on the government.

Re: Gifts
 

You don't just get bennefits if you voted Democrat though.. I think state redistribution of wealth is much more liable to be born of genuine altruism on the part of those who try to implement social welfare policies. While interpersonal relationships are often riddled with the kind of hubris and so on as you mentioned above, when you start to abstract away to something like the state/citizen relationship, those kinds of issues tend to dissapate. (If for no more simple reason than that the politicians implementing these programs have very little real contact with those they're trying to help).

Re: Gifts
 

The first job of any power system is to maintain its own existence. Altruism has very little to do with anything that a government does. Governments tend to grow and gather power to those in control of the government. Seldom does a group come along who has power then relinquishes it willingly.

Government must be watched as one would watch a fox near his hen house. Any people who do not cast a skeptical eye upon those who are governing is putting itself at jeopardy.

Re: Gifts
 

Maintaining "power" doesn't necessarily exclude altruistic behaviour. I think there are plenty of people who'd like to have the power to take money from the rich and give it to the poor for instance. Such people might request that the poor as well as the rich still adhere to certain rules of law and so on, but to suggest that all this amounts to is some scheister trying to "get something back" from you in an underhand way is a bit silly.

Re: Gifts
 

Have you ever noticed that the people in power usually seem to be the rich? Have you noticed that even those who are professing to want to take money from the rich and give it to the poor seem to be very bad at accomplishing this. Have you also noticed that the same rich people who profess to want to even things out manage as part of the evening out process seem to get even richer?

I have.