Love & Pride

As I was sifting through some old stacks of paper, I came across a scribbled note that had this quotation. As I sat about thinking about the two key words in the quote, lots of thoughts crossed my mind. Some old scenes flashed before my eyes. I searched for other quotes on the subject and collected a few of these (in italics - with all due credits to the various authors), to form a case for my view.

The quote goes like this:
"It is better to loose your pride to the one you love than to loose the one you love because of your pride"

Agree, Disagree? It really depends, you say. On what, I ask? The situation, the person you love, or the degree of pride at stake? It might be, but then isn't love all about giving?

Someone once said "Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it's what you are expected to give - which is everything." We all suffer from the preoccupation that there exists...in the loved one - perfection and it is this baseless notion that sometimes leads to troubles. We must, however, understand that in the absence of love, there is nothing worth fighting for. You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments when you have truly lived are the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.

While it is good to have Pride as it is a personal commitment. It is an attitude which separates excellence from mediocrity. Pride is your own view about yourself. As per a Hebrew proverb, Pride is the mask we make of our faults. Pride has sometimes been linked to temper as well, as someone once said Temper gets you into trouble. Pride keeps you there.

You might have your own view on this but I definitely know what I would do, for, no one ever choked to death swallowing his pride! For me Love is giving more than I can, and pride is taking less than I need.

Giving back

I am really thankful to my parents for I had never to worry about anything while growing up. Though I wasn't born with a silver spoon or had a golden bathtub, they had enough to see us through easily. They provided me with everything I needed. From early on we were taught about budgeting and keeping spending in limits. There is a difference between need and want and that formed a part of our life learning. Although I now realise the essence of value before paying the price, I still get carried away at times and go for impulse buying...

Of late, while talking to friends, one thing that came up quite often was "how much is enough". We go through the daily grind, working day in and day out, but for what? Some bits of paper? Perhaps to be able to lead the same lifestyle when we retire, perhaps to give to our children all that our parents gave to us and much more. But then the key question is when can we stop? Will it ever be enough? However that is again a matter of separate discussion..for another day...:)

Coming back to this entry...I got a chance today to attend my organisation's chapter of Toastmaster club. One of the speeches there was about giving a part of you to someone who can't repay you back. The person delivering the speech said that study has proven that a person is most happy when he gives up something that he has. Spending money on yourself can bring you happiness for a few days but spending money on someone who needs it will probably earn you years of happiness.

His speech was good as it was quite motivating and inspiring, but for me, this is not a new enlightment. I love helping people and I love doing things for the needy. Bringing smile on someone else's face gives me immense pleasure. However there is a difference between loving something and doing something about it. Although I have donated money for good causes and keep doing that regularly, I wish I could do something more - donate some more time and energy. If you look around, it won't be difficult to find reasons or avenues.Its just a matter of standing up and making the first move.

In his speech, he quoted a saying "The world is composed of givers and takers. The takers may eat better, but the givers sleep better." I too, would also like to have a good night sleep. Its just a question of "when". I would like to quote the lines from a Robert Frost poem that was part of my curriculum in my secondary school - lines that have been ingrained in my heart - lines that mean - there might be lots of wordly pleasures but there is no end to these and they are distracting, but that before the final end, there are lots of things that I need to complete:

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

Price Vs. Value

In this material world, everything comes with a price-tag. As they say there is no such thing as free lunch - so you have to pay for everything. On the other hand, when you pay for something you expect to get something in return, some good or services in return. The"expectation" can be termed as the value of that thing.

Although price, can be calculated, value is quite difficult to arrive at. Same things can have different values for different people and the same thing can have different "values" for the same people under different circumstances.

Understanding and identifying the value of something before you pay the price for it helps you determine the true cost of it. When you are out shopping you should not buy anything that is available for a good price because its value to you might not be the same. How many times have you asked yourself if something is "worth" the price? This "worth" is the value that you will derive out of the transaction. There is a one-to-one straight relationship between these two things. The more the price, the more the value it is supposed to deliver.

As per Einstein's theory, the total mass remains constant and if you put that theory to the price and value scenario, you may as well say that "the value that you derive from something should be equal to the price that you have paid for it". If this is the case you tend to enjoy that thing more and you end up saying "worth the price". So in general Price/Value = 1;

Sometimes it is difficult to ascertain the monetary price for something - the same way as it is sometimes difficult to ascertain the true value of something. Things for which you can't ascertain the value become priceless. For everything else, as they say, there is always a MasterCard.