Simple Stoic Advice
The law of giving
The law of giving
The beautiful thing about Stoic philosophy is the advice contained within it is just as applicable today as it was when it was first written all those many years ago. We can learn a great deal from interpreting the advice provided and using it to our advantage as we go throughout our own lives.
Today’s quote comes to us courtesy of Seneca from his essay, On Benefits, translation under the title How to Give:
Quote
“Between two partners in giving, there is this law: The one should forget right away the giving of a gift, the other should never forget receiving it.”
Advice
Seneca’s view of giving is summarized in his classic essay, On Benefits, wherein he describes what he believes the most important parts of the act of giving are.
Here, Seneca expresses that he believes the act of giving should not be for a mutual gain of any kind, rather, the act of giving should be for the receiver only.
Throughout his essay, Seneca returns to this concept of altruism by continually stating that one’s efforts to bestow a gift is the end goal; we ourselves are rewarded for the giving by the notation that we are thinking and acting in the best interests of someone other than ourselves.
This is a reward in and of itself.
And while one can argue that this is potentially no longer altruism if you are giving just for the joy it gives you, but Seneca states that we must be giving out of the goodness of our heart, not the benefit of ourselves.
Ultimately, by giving out of the goodness of ourselves, we are both giving to others as well as helping to fulfill ourselves and be good citizens in society.
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