It is Teresa of Avila, in Spain, 1515-1582, who says:
Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are passing, God is enough. Indeed, in life we crave many things: Wealth, power, glory, influence and for much more, hoping that these things and these positions in life will make us truly happy.
But the reality of life tells us otherwise. Nobody ever gets satisfied by what they have. We crave for more, in a vicious circle that never ends. It is as if we relive our childhood experience when we as babies we hanged on to everything around us. We tried to put everything into our mouths until an adult told us not to. In childhood everything around us belongs to us.
This is why all cultures and philosophies, as indicated by the wisdom of Teresa quoted above, teach us to share what we have with those who do not. We are taught that it is a blessing to give and not just to receive.
In my childhood and perhaps in yours too, I found the lesson of sharing what I was eating to be a tough lesson indeed. Everything was mine, not yours. But Mom and Dad kept saying: Share what you have with your sisters, brothers and neighbours. My ancestors have this proverb: When eating look around you. This means that when you are blessed to have anything, you should share it with others, especially those around you who may be hungry or in need.
If your experience is like mine, this is not an easy lecture to understand: Share what you have with others. Everything is I, me and mine. This is an instinct that dies hard in us. We continue into adulthood with this selfish precondition of being self-centred, self-serving, self-preserving. We believe that when we own more and more, when everything, near and far is mine, then we will be happy.
Philosopher and theologian Augustine of Hippo in ancient Egypt (354-430), writes: My heart will ultimately rest in those things that are Divine. Without being guided by things and experiences divine, our hearts are restless, always desiring for more, more power, more money, more popularity, more years of age, more of everything, ad infinitum, that is, forever.
It is then we begin to realise that true happiness comes from sharing our God given gifts and potentialities, it is in reaching out to those in need, the hungry, the downtrodden, the voiceless, those in need.
Prof. Raymond S. Mosha
(+255) 769 417 886; rmosha@depaul.edu
