It's not just all about you

The season of Christmas is upon us.  It has crept upon us faster than we had expected. It's December and my favorite month of the year not because of the season that it brings, but because this month embodies the happiest moments of my childhood.  It taught me the real meaning of family, happiness, togetherness and great outpour of charity, which is originally referred to as agapē love. As you know, Love is an affection of benevolence towards another with no expectation of reciprocity and absence of selfish gains or interest. Although, Christmas signifies the birth and celebration of Jesus Christ and a major part of the Christian religion, it means so much more than that. However, it is wise not to dwell on that because that fixation could cause a segregation across religious beliefs. Christmas simply personifies and creates a platform for giving rather than receiving. As a young boy, I was educated on the difference between giving and receiving by my late grandfather. He told me that when you're receiving a gift from someone, you normally make use of your two hands and when you were giving someone a gift, you did so with one hand. At that point, I still did not understand his point so I asked him: Papa, what does that truly mean? He said, when you use two hands to receive, it signifies weakness since you're dependent on the giver and the gift while giving which requires one hand, reflects strength because it really takes a lot to hand something of meaningful value to someone else (rather than keeping it to yourself). So, this Christmas season don't focus on yourself because it's not all about you. I know times are hard, the dollar value might not be worth what we expect, the stock markets may be crumbling and you might not have gotten that promotion at work, but you still have a lot to be thankful for.  Since, the season of Christmas presents opportunities to give, it is wise to be selfless and take advantage of these opportunities to put a smile on someone's face. Simple gestures such as volunteering at homeless shelters, donating to charities or just giving a hug or a listening ear to someone going through a tough time are great examples of giving.  Always, remember that the money you make and the educational degrees you earn mean nothing when you leave this earth but the lives you touch are the legacies you leave behind. Steer away from using love in a subservient manner. Broadcast love in the greatest way possible and in a way that suits you because It's not all about you.  It's mostly about others around you.  Merry Christmas and I wish you all a prosperous 2017!