‘We make a living by what we get – We make a life by what we give’
~ Winstone Churchill ~
Chemical Factory:
When we give something whether an object or love (you cannot provide hate – you only receive negative vibes from hostile acts), your brain produces endorphins (happy chemicals). The brain can produce endorphin: a member of the opiate family: (endorphin refers to endogenous morphine) and the chemical gives pain relief and makes one feel happy. Endorphin is a powerful chemical. And addictive: we can become addicted to feeling god and being free from pain. So giving and understanding reciprocal happiness is an asset worth understanding and encouraging as part of life existence.
There is no ‘feel bad’ chemical produced by the brain! Research suggests when our brain has low levels of ‘neurotransmitters’, we become depressed. Serotonin and Endorphins are neurotransmitters. Therefore, when we work at being happy, there is less likelihood of becoming depressed.
Brain’s Chemical Factory
A phycologist told me: ‘I look for lifetime acts and choices when working with patients. My feeling means people’ hang on’ to everything: and most of all they hang on to their past’: this is an interesting observation, and since listening to the suggestion, I’ve watched people closely, and the idea has merit.
One can easily reconcile the idea of acting or being within a beneficial situation can bring happiness and well-being. Consider the feelings of being with people loved: family and strong and faithful friends. During the ‘happy’ experience all cares and woes disaster from view. So being part of happy circumstances put the brains chemical factory into production and the neurotransmitters connect up with happy memories, acts and ideas. So, do not forget, happy and contented acts rewire the brain. You can be wired ‘depressed’ or ‘unhappy’. Encourage the chemical factory to produce Serotonin and Endorphins, and the brain becomes rewired.
Giving is Wealth:
Giving and helping: if done with the best of intention opens the factory gates. And the brain is happily rewired. The more one experiences the happy feeling, the greater the desire to revisit the experience. And here is the danger: because, if the ‘happiness’ is false. In other words, a car, home or trinket bought for greed and not need the factory soon closes its gates and the brain becomes starved of neurotransmitters, and the happiness connections break. So the quest is then on to buy more and hang on to more, greed and selfishness becomes part of the process. The outer-being can never become satisfied.
Controlled by Possessions:
No longer is the victim enjoying the cycle of life’s ‘up’s and down’s’ the victim is playing real-life snakes and ladders, being controlled by the dice thrown by employers, politicians, banks and health. In other words: the victim is no longer in control of their lives, no matter how others see their external lifestyle. Inner chaos, ruled by greed and the need to be perceived as successful.
Worship the Wonga
Last year, I was in the company of an extraordinarily wealthy man. Arthur’s home stands in fifteen acres of land. Circling the house is an asphalt road network with curb-stones and street lighting. At a guess, the road network’s cost must run into 100’s of thousands of pounds. It is not possible to comprehend this man’s wealth without seeing his home and its estate. Many would say ‘I’ll bet the owner is a tightwad: that’s the only way to become that rich’, And they would be wrong Arthur is the most generous man I’ve ever met.
Arthur’s Secret:
I had to ask him his secret to wealth ‘Pay your bills and give away anything which becomes of no use: make your cast-offs make others happy. The most important possessions are food and water and warmth if you have them everything else is a bonus. In the early days, while my competition wasted money on big houses and cars: I invested in paying the best wages and best machinery. Later, I bought the land for this house and designed the estate. I set up my building company to build this house and made the business’s best workers partners. Accountant’s and banks believed me too generous: now they see me as a prophet or do they see me for my profit?’ He laughs, Arthur is always laughing and happy and generous. ‘Why do you give so much away, Arthur? Give away the past to make way for new Ian’.
When one can give without question, the mind learns to release anything that does not have worth. Now, think about this idea with care. The suggestion is: when one becomes able to give away items which tie us to memories of the past, and those memories can be unhappy: we close the gates of the endorphin and serotonin factory and unwire our brains, resulting in depression and unhappiness. One does not have to give ‘everything away. By gifting a few items associated with the past, the chains of previous unhappy memories become broken. You are correct to question the idea.
Lessons Discovered in People’s Acts:
Like yourself, I’ve lent a few books. And only a few have been returned. Indeed I feel returning a book says much about the borrower. I lent a valuable book to someone, and it has never been returned. There was a time when the book’s mention caused me to reflect on the dishonesty of the individual. No matter how ‘spiritual’ or ‘ethical’ the individual projects their image: the non-returned book tells another story. One day, I realised the loss of the book was a great lesson. From that moment I have lent nothing: choosing to give without question. As for the books and items borrowed and never returned, they have become experiences, nothing more. One cannot erase the memory. However, we can review the memory differently.
You’ll have many items and places which remind you of happy and imperfect memories. The suggestion is when we learn to give with kindness and love. We also know how to leave unhappinesses behind graciously. Making the sacrifice to provide what is right and beneficial: it becomes easy to relinquish painful memories. Giving is a process of reciprocal or mutual happiness. There is no need to desire or need a reward for the act of generosity.
You’d know the quote:
‘To err is human; to forgive, divine’ which means we all make mistakes and forgiving humans’ mistakes is ‘god-like’.
We could also consider:
‘Greed is human-like – To give is divine.
Ian Timothy
