One grows into a version of themselves that they love by the act of gifting. Every sincere gift is a gift to the universe and in turn enriches it to be a place that is bountiful.
Once in every few days I return to reading Robin Wall Kimmerer's fascinating book Braiding Sweetgrass.
A view that particularly stayed with me was how consumption in moderation not only allows us to benefit the fruits of nature but also makes nature thrive better.
when a herd of buffalo grazes down a sward of fresh grass, it actually grows faster in response.
The botanist in Robin knows how complex natural systems like grass react on being consumed. She notes that it actually allows the grass to thrive better.
The true originator of most problems in life is being stuck in extremities, like the two ends of Hegel's pendulum. Unfortunately, far too often, the response to over-consumption is not to moderatize it but to entirely stop consumption, thus taking the other extreme.
Robin interprets the grazing as the grass's gift to the herd and in turn the act of receiving this gift, itself becomes a gift from the herd to the grass. On the tradition of responsibly harvesting Sweetgrass (wingaashk) she says:
The grass gives its fragrant self to us and we receive it with gratitude. In return, through the very act of accepting the gift, the pickers open some space, let the light come in, and with a gentle tug bestir the dormant buds that make new grass.
I wonder if it isn't the same with many things in life, if the relationships between complex systems isn't the same as relationships between humans. We sometimes take too much from people and we burn them. When we realize what we have done, we shun receiving any help and never allow ourselves to 'burden' people. Being able to help is as joyous as receiving help, being able to love is as heartening as receiving love. When we take the extremes we ruin the delicate balance of nature with our heavy handedness.
Reciprocity is a matter of keeping the gift in motion through self-perpetuating cycles of giving and receiving.
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