Give And Take Doormats

The idea of Takers and Givers is the people who expand and change the rest of the world without thought of

Everyone has something to give. What is given can be quantified in many different ways. Some people give ideas. Some people give their loyalty. For others, their effort and hard-work. Few though, are able to give what men like Andrew Carnegie were able to give; hope. That hope, however, came in the form of money. Building wealth is no easy task but giving that wealth away for the benefit of society, is the ultimate good that can be done with it. Carnegie wasn’t the only, or even the first to realize the importance of philanthropy. Johns Hopkins and John Rockefeller were two other very important players throughout American history that were instrumental in improving the society we live in today. With the current climate that Americans find themselves

Ernest Holmes addresses a trepidation we may have when giving: our resources will be temporarily depleted. It is common sense that the more we give, the less we have; but there is a principle at work which defies common sense, because the appearance of loss and lack is deceptive. Once we have sown a seed our hands are empty, but the soil is full and soon we will have our hands full with the harvest of that seed. If we had held onto that seed, there would be no harvest and we would eventually be empty-handed. However, giving in a principled manner does not incur a loss, but gains. Giving, as a matter of principle, is the difference between gaining more or having less. Of course, if we go through the motions of giving — appearing to give, but actually throwing money away in an unprincipled manner, then we have simply wasted our time, and our treasure. Not every seed sown, grows; some fall on hard, stony ground and never take root. Not every prayer is heard and answered; some fall on deaf ears — our own. Having ears, we hear not. Having eyes, we see not. And having our hands full, we give not. It is a shame, because we could give, have and enjoy more.

In the chapter seven of Give and Take, Adam Grant mainly describes three possible traps for givers while they are giving and how to avoid those traps. According to Grant, three traps are being too trusting, too empathy, and too timid. Whenever givers fall into those traps, they will become doormats and get stepped all over by those takers. He points out that it is also easy for people to become pushovers. In order to avoid those traps and not to be pushovers, he gives solutions.

The happiness that I received from giving to the needy has helped better prepare me for my job and it has given me special skills to help me with my current and future job. Jonathan E. Booth wrote,“Wilson emphasized that knowledge acquired from volunteering can lead to socioeconomic achievement in the workplace, which may result in a more positive reputation on the job, help in finding future work, or enhancement of the quality of [the current] job (Booth Pg 233).” The knowledge that I left with after feeding the homeless has helped me to be effective in job and my everyday life. It has helped me to have a more positive attitude and has made me more equipped in my job and my hobbies. Mr. Booth said,“While

The common thing that the elite donors say about the reasons why they give, is that “being wealthy carries with it the clear obligation to be philanthropic” (171), however,

I must say that I agree with Maya Angelo in regards to giving, especially as it relates to the pastoral ministry. With Jesus being our example, I believe it should be standard for the Christian to serve in the way of giving.

Chapter 2: The Peacock and the Panda—How Givers, Takers, and Matchers Build Networks. Grant argues, “that while givers and takers may have equally large networks, givers are able to produce far more lasting value through their networks, and in ways that might not seem obvious.” Modifying a Dutch phrase, Grant explains that, “takers rise by kissing up, but they often fall by kicking down.” Studies show that takers are punished by others who share reputational information (i.e., bad experiences) after being burned.It is important to prevent takers from rising to positions that can topple whole systems. Signs of being a taker include using more first-person singular pronouns like I, me, mine, my, and myself, especially when explaining one’s own

Hyde calls ours a traditional gift economy. It is deliberately impersonal but the whole purpose of the gift economy is to strengthen relationships. But for Hyde gifts are both material and immaterial- for example a gift for music etc . He talks of the transformative gift where a teacher or a mentor can change the direction of a student's life . As opposed to that beneficial giving he contrasts that with The Church of Scientology which distorts giving until it becomes an ugly arm of exploitation. Negative reciprocity is an act in return to a negative act so overall in simpler terms no one is winning but their could be a lesson learned through this process. The gift is punishment some advantages of this is an individual learning lesson but

Batson, C. D. (1991). The Altruism Question: Toward a Social-Psychological Answer. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

From a Takers perspective, they believe in order to succeed Takers must prove that they are useful and better than others. Takers also boast about their accomplishments and make sure they receive all due credit. Grant claims that Takers “like to get more than they give.” Alternatively, Givers are individuals who prefer to give more than they receive. While Takers are focused on what others can offer them, Givers carefully pay

Altruism, in which one selflessly devotes to the welfare of another without expecting anything in return, often elicits an inexplicable and intangible surge of joy, in which one gains a sense of purpose. For example, I have observed the therapists at PRANA, whom altruistically devote up to an hour, when initially only allotted a half-hour time slot, programming individualized treatments for each patient. In their hour- long treatments, they create a non-fraternizing relationship with their patients that is fully functional on trust, empathy, and generosity. Devoting that extra time to each patient gives not only the

Holmes suggests that you give wisely: carefully, intelligently, and generously. Remember the Parable of the Sower: the only seeds that grew and prospered were the ones that fell on good, fertile soil. The rest that fell by the wayside, on hard and weedy soil, went to waste. Just going through the motions of giving (indiscriminately, thoughtless or inconsistently) doesn't do you or anyone any good. We must give in a way that prospers.

John Arthur states that giving should be up to the individual and in a system where giving is mandatory, people would not be accepting of it. If we think of human nature in general, we can say that many would think of human nature to be greedy. Self-preservation comes first for many because you’re your own person. You control to some extent your quality of life and your choices day to day literally make or break you. Many people would not trust in a system where they are mandated to give from their own means to an entire stranger because they have no ties to that person. We can explore this in our lives because many people die of various causes such as hunger, many people all over the world that we do not know, however it largely remains out

I picked the two concepts team-building and giving. My first concept is team-building, and this can be defined as the ongoing process that helps a work group evolve into a cohesive unit. Starting with team-building, I picked this because I thought that in order to go into the community and make an impact, it helps to have an ample amount of volunteers ready to do service. One of the greatest life lessons that we learn when growing up is that there is no “I in team”. I think that keeping timeless life lessons like that one in mind can help people go a long way when out doing service in the community. For example, when ASPiRE volunteered with Hands-Up-Ministry, I noticed how we all split up into smaller groups, and from there, our strengths could really shine. I knew that I would probably not be the best at tearing up rotted floorboards, but painting the basement turned out to be a secret talent of mine. It was amazing to look around and see that everyone was helping in whatever way they could. It was the complete definition of team-building, because not only were we productive, but we also got to bond with those that were in our small group. I remembered playing music and dancing, laughing, and singing, and working together smoothly as a group. My group even had the privilege to work alongside one of the people that had been personally helped by Hands-Up-Ministry, and the house’s future owner’s sister.