"All people have equal value" - Nishan Karki

                                 

Reflection from Sunday School

 

All lives have equal value. And so you say, 'Why do poor children die when other children don't? Why do some people have enough nutrition or reasonable toilets and other people don't?' So those basic needs that, through innovation, actually it's very affordable to bring them...to everyone.

~Bill Gates

Everyone in the world possesses many values. We, people, are the most intelligent beings created by God. God created us as social beings who can communicate, think, walk, eat, play and work by ourselves. God has provided us with many qualities like humanity, loyalty, kindness, honesty, compassion etc. We can look out for ourselves, do our work independently and do many more things. These qualities that we possess, make us unique, unlike animals and other creatures. They may possess some qualities, but not as many as we possess. Despite differences in region, birthplace, class, financial position, gender, age, caste, language and custom, people have equal values.

We may be rich, middle class or poor, but the value we possess are the same. We should use and show our values at the right time, place and situation. I have an example for this context- "There is a homeless guy, sitting on the side of a street. Two men were walking down the street, one poor and one wealthy. Despite being a wealthy man, he is rude and hard-hearted, unlike the poor, who is kind and generous. The rich man did not give attention to the homeless and walked away. But the poor man, in an instant, saw him and decided to help him. He went to a nearby shop and bought some food. He gave him food and a little money and spent time with him. The homeless guy thanked him. His eyes were all filled with tears."

This example shows that the poor guy has shown his value as a person and helped the homeless guy with some food and money. Thus we should use our values at the right time, place and situation. We should not hesitate to help someone in distress and difficulties because even a small help can change someone's life.

I believe that all lives have equal value. That all men and women are created equal. That everyone belongs. That everyone has rights, and everyone has the right to flourish. I believe that when people who are bound by the rules have no role in shaping the rules, moral blind spots become law, and the powerless bear the burden. ... I believe that entrenched social norms that shift society’s benefits to the powerful and its burdens to the powerless not only hurt the people pushed out but also always hurt the whole.

~Melinda Gates

 

Nishan Karki

Pestalozzi Children's Village, India

The Art of Giving - Rishona Chopra

 

When God blesses you financially, don't raise your standard of living. Raise your standard of giving. - Mark Batterson 

It is true what Mark Batterson has said, we should give not only when we are rich in our everyday lives, we should raise our standard of giving, it may not be just giving money, even giving a toy to a person who needs it or a book is an act of giving too! 

A small act of giving could mean everything to a person. Giving not only makes the other person happy but also makes us happy. As said,' make others happy, and you will be satisfied in the same way give and give, and you will feel better.

Bill Gates, one of the wealthiest people in the world, still has a kind, generous heart. When we are super rich or famous, we tend to become more competitive, and while doing that, we sometimes forget about the value of giving. Giving did no harm to Bill Gates; he has succeeded as a better human being. This doesn't mean we only offer when we are super-rich; we can provide as we wish.

We can give hope, love and happiness, and that is, in fact, faithful giving. When we give, we shouldn't expect the same from a person. We should give from our hearts.

At Christmas, we receive gifts but have we ever thought that instead of receiving, we should give more and buy things, not for us but others in need. If we can not afford it, it makes no sense to buy things for us until we need them. There is a tremendous difference between want and need. When we want something, we don't really need them; when we need them, we want to use them properly. So on Christmas, we should give and not take, and we should give it in such a way that we do not mind if the other offers a return gift. 

Giving is a sense of happiness and pleasure. Making someone smile makes your day smile.

Rishona Chopra 
Grade VI 
Gyanshree School

Giving - Anvesha Rana

                   "Give without expectations, Give without recognition and Give for the Joy of Giving." 

Equality is essential, but it does not last long, for financial differences always produce a barrier. Consequently, those who have enough must give to those who have nothing. When God blesses us financially, we should not raise our standard of living. Instead, we should raise our standard of giving because much is expected from those to whom much is given. Every day we witness acts of generosity, compassion and selflessness by ordinary people. They do not give a second thought to spending money on someone else when they can spend it on themselves. Life's persistent and most urgent question must be, what are you doing for others. 

Some of the people who have demonstrated extraordinary generosity include Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Jorge Munoz, P. Kalyansundaram, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Divij. At the age of thirty-one, Bill Gates was the youngest self-made billionaire, and at the age of sixty-four, he found organizations to address causes that were close to his mother. He helped eradicate Polio and supported many people across the globe financially. Bill Gates may be the richest man, but he is also the man who has contributed to charity more than anyone else. Another person who made the world realize the joy of giving was Warren Buffet; he gave away 85 per cent of his wealth to charity, with a colossal amount pledged to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. We need not be rich to be generous, exemplified by Jorge Munoz, an immigrant from Columbia who lives in New York. He is a bus driver by profession but feeds hungry construction workers in the evening. His mission to serve the construction workers each day leaves him no time for friends, hobbies or leisure, yet each day he comes and becomes the reason for the smile on the faces of so many. We all can take inspiration from these people who have taught the world that giving has no barriers. 

Once we realize the joy of giving, it will become our true nature to give. Giving is not something that occurs occasionally; it should be habitual and permanent. The fragrance always remains on the hand that gives the rose. Giving is beneficial for the one who receives and is even more advantageous for the giver, for it is in giving that we receive. 

Anvesha Rana, 

9-B, 

Gyanshree School. 

Giving - Rishona Chopra

 

Based on the chapter 'giving' from the book Is Your Child Ready To Face The World by Dr Anupam Sibal.

When God blesses you financially, don't raise your standard of living. Raise your standard of giving.

                                                                                                                   - Mark Batterson

It is true what Mark Batterson has said, we should give not only when we are rich in our everyday lives, we should raise our standard of giving, it may not be just giving money, even giving a toy to a person who needs it or a book is an act of giving too! 

A small act of giving could mean everything for a person. Giving not only makes the other person happy, but it makes us happy too. As said, ' make others happy, and you will be happy in the same way ' give and give, and you will feel better.

Bill Gates, one of the wealthiest people in the world, still has a kind, generous heart. When we are super rich or famous, we tend to become more competitive, and while doing that, we sometimes forget about the value of giving. Giving did no harm to Bill Gates; in fact, he has succeeded as a better human being. This isn't supposed to mean that we only give when we are super-rich; we can give as we wish.

We can give hope, love and happiness, and that is, in fact, faithful giving. When we give, we shouldn't expect the same from a person. We should give from our hearts.

I donate the things I don't need anymore to a suitable NGO. That, too, is giving. It doesn't mean that those things I am giving are dirty or nasty; they are as good as new. This brings a smile to the poor and my face too. Looking at one more advantage is that my room is better organized!!

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School