Taker or Giver: The Fundamental Choice of Life
The Illusion of Two Worlds
Ah, look at you! Sitting there, thinking life is split into two—material and spiritual. No, no, no! These are not two different worlds; life is just one. The problem is, people have made life into compartments—"this is my work, this is my prayer, this is my money, this is my devotion." You are chopping life into pieces and then wondering why it feels incomplete!
What you call material and what you call spiritual are not separate lands. It is not as if you need a passport to enter the spiritual world and a visa to visit the material one. These are two dimensions of the same human being. If you are only materialistic, you will be like a man trying to quench his thirst by drinking seawater—the more you have, the more you want, and yet you remain thirsty. If you are only spiritual in a way that makes you useless in the world, then you will sit under a tree and expect fruits to fall into your mouth. Neither of these is intelligence.
The Two Fundamental Ways to Exist
There are two fundamental ways to exist as a human being: you can either be a taker or a giver.
Most people are trained to be takers from the moment they are born. Even as a child, before you can walk properly, you are taught to ask:
"Give me this, give me that, I want that toy, I want this food, I want that attention."
Then you grow up and keep asking, but now in different ways:
"Give me love, give me respect, give me security, give me success, give me enlightenment."
See, even spirituality has become a business—people go to temples and bargain with God!
"I will break 108 coconuts, but you give me that job."
Even God is not spared from human transactions!
But there is another way to exist—just as life itself exists.
If you look at the sun, it is not asking for light from somewhere else. It just burns, and in that burning, it illuminates the whole world. A flower does not bloom and then demand, "Who is going to pay me for this fragrance?" It simply gives.
This is the fundamental nature of life—it overflows. But most people are sitting like dried-up wells, wondering why life feels empty.
Love is Not a Business
Take love, for example. Most people think they are ‘in love’ when actually, they are just doing business in an emotional marketplace.
"You love me, I love you, but if you don’t behave the way I like, then I withhold my love."
This is not love; this is extortion!
If love is real, it is not about what you can get—it is about what you are.
A mango tree does not care who eats its fruit; it simply bears mangoes because that is its nature. If you truly become love, then there is no question of taking—it is only a question of how much you can give.
Now, you might say, "But if I keep giving, won’t I be empty?"
No, no! This is the biggest misunderstanding. Only a miser thinks giving will make them poor. If you pour water into a well, it does not become shallower—it becomes deeper.
The more love you give, the more love you are. The more life you give, the more alive you become. This is the way existence functions.
Measuring Life in Numbers
But unfortunately, modern education and society train people to measure life in numbers:
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How much money do you have?
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How many degrees do you hold?
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How many square feet is your house?
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How many followers do you have?
People are busy counting crocodiles in their backyard, thinking this defines who they are.
No, no! Who you are is not a number—it is a fragrance, a quality.
If you walk into a room and the space feels lighter, more joyful, more alive, then you are truly rich. But if you walk into a room and people feel suffocated just by your presence, then even if you own the whole planet, what is the point?
The Only Choice You Need to Make
So, do not get trapped in this illusion that material and spiritual are two different things. Life is one. The only question is—are you walking through it with your hands stretched out, always begging for more? Or are you walking with your hands full, looking for where you can pour?
If you live as a beggar, even in heaven you will be miserable. If you live as a giver, even in hell you will be joyful.
Now tell me, do you want to live like a flickering candle in the wind, or do you want to be a sun, shining no matter what?
The choice is yours.
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In a Nutshell
Ah, look at you! Sitting there, thinking you are living in two worlds—material and spiritual. No, no, no! There are no two worlds, my friend. There is just one—this one. What you call material and what you call spiritual, these are not places; these are two different flavors of the same human being.
See, there are two kinds of people in this world: one walks around with a begging bowl, looking for what they can take—money, love, attention, approval. And then there are those who walk with their hands full, looking for where they can pour. These are two fundamental qualities, not two different species.
You see, when you say love, you cannot take love. If you try to take love, it is no longer love—it is a transaction, a business. And if you turn love into business, then life will hand you an invoice—pain, frustration, and one grand breakup after another! But if you simply become love, then you are like the sun—just radiating, whether someone basks in it or hides in a cave.
But most people, unfortunately, are busy counting crocodiles in their backyard, thinking their wealth, their possessions, their status is who they are. No, no! Who you are is not what you have accumulated; it is what you have blossomed into. If you have a million dollars but your face looks like you swallowed a cactus, what is the point?
The world may define you in numbers—how much money, how many followers, how many square feet in your house. But these things do not measure the sweetness of your being. You may have a palace, but if inside you are still miserable, then you have just built a golden prison for yourself.
So, do not think in terms of material and spiritual. Think in terms of beggar or giver. If you live as a beggar, even in heaven you will be miserable. If you live as a giver, even in hell you will be joyful. That is the nature of life.
Now tell me, do you want to live like a full moon or a flickering candle in the wind? The choice is yours!
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