The Reality Of Giving

"If you want to give something to someone, then give it to him happily, but don't misbehave or insult anybody." - Sai Baba

When I first read the above quotation in the story of A Robust Beggar, I could not comprehend it fully until I met two philanthropists of a local foundation on 21 January 2005.

I was very disturbed by this "extraordinary" meeting. I struggled with my thoughts and finally decided to share my uneventful encounter. It all started with an intention to serve better in social work - I sought sponsorship for a bachelor degree course in Social Work.

I hope that my sharing will help "reinforce" the noble spirit of giving and remind web surfers to give due respect to their fellowmen while helping them.

The "Awkward" Interview

The setting :

The interview was conducted in a bedroom at about 10pm. The interviewer was seated on a bed while conducting the interview. I was told to put on some "protective stuff" similar to what their nursing aides were wearing as though one was in an ICU (intensive care unit), and also to comply with some absurd house rules. At about 11pm, the spouse came into the bedroom and slept next to the interviewer. The interview ended at 11:30pm.

Initial resistance:

I made the following remark: "If the interviewer is sick, I will come back another day."

The fact was that the interviewer was not sick. Another interviewee persuaded me to join her since we were already in the bungalow. Reluctantly, I complied with the house rules and attended the group interview. The other interviewee was not used to wearing the mask and started coughing. The interviewer was so fearful that she might bring virus/bacteria into the bedroom. Within ten minutes, she was granted the sponsorship for her course and left. After the interviewee left the room, the interviewer made a remark - "See, just within a few minutes, she got $XX, not too bad right!" Food for thought: "Was it given from the heart?"

The outcome :

The foundation was keen to offer me a 50% sponsorship as I was "connected" to it by a reputable person. However, I decided to withdraw my request for sponsorship for 2 reasons. Firstly, I was disappointed with the basis on how the sponsorship was awarded - instead of supporting social work, they work on "human connection (GuanXi)/giving face (GeiMianZi)". Secondly, I was saddened by the mannerism of the interviewer - some of my friends called it eccentric behaviour.

Afterthoughts:

I remain baffled by such mannerisms. Was it an insult or a hospitable reception?

Perhaps, the concept of SOHO (small office home office) is taking a new shape - the pyjamas era. However, if the interviewer held bad intent, I hope that web surfers will be reminded of the following quote:

"If you want to give something to someone, then give it to him happily, but don't misbehave or insult anybody." - Sai Baba