The art of taking seems to come naturally to man. Put up a board saying, “Something is being offered for free,” and you will have people queuing up from midnight. But put up a board saying, “Donations needed,” and suddenly everyone becomes extremely busy, extremely poor, or mysteriously develops a deep interest in looking the other way.
We have become experts at taking. We take from nature, take
from the earth, take from one another, and, if possible, take a little more
just in case we might need it someday. Whether we need it or not hardly
matters. Our cupboards, storerooms, garages, and warehouses are full of things
waiting for a future that may never arrive.
The tree, however, seems to have mastered an art that
humanity is still struggling to understand—the art of giving.
A tree gives almost everything it has. It gives us clean
air, fruits, flowers, shade, leaves, bark, wood, and even a place for birds and
insects to live. It stands quietly in one place, asking for nothing in return.
It does not say, “I gave you oxygen yesterday; today, please bring me something
in exchange.” It simply gives.
Imagine if trees behaved like humans. A mango tree might put
a signboard on itself: “Oxygen available—₹50 per breath. Mangoes extra.
Shade only for premium members.”
We, on the other hand, can spend hours bargaining over a few
rupees, yet hesitate to give something away for free. If there is a buffet, we
pile our plates as though we are preparing for a famine. If there is a free
sample, we take one, then quietly circle back pretending we are a different
person. But when someone asks us to donate, share, or contribute, our
generosity suddenly goes into hibernation.
Society has taught us very well how to accumulate, but
hardly anything about giving. From childhood, we are encouraged to acquire—to
get more, own more, earn more, save more. We are constantly told to secure our
future, often forgetting that someone else may be struggling to survive their
present.
Perhaps that is why giving feels unnatural to us. We have
trained ourselves to ask, “What do I get?” rather than “What can I
give?”
Nature seems to understand something that we have forgotten:
nothing truly belongs to us. The tree takes sunlight, water, and nourishment
from the earth, but it transforms everything it receives into something useful
for others.
Maybe that is the lesson we need to learn. Taking is
survival; giving is what makes life meaningful.
The tree gives without keeping an account. We give only
after checking the account.
And perhaps that is the difference between being alive and
truly living.