I went to church yesterday and the priest gave a sermon that I thought was pretty cool (disclaimer: this is not a note about religion so chill for a bit and I will make my point).
Anyway, he talked about the Sermon on the Mount. In the story Jesus goes to speak to a pile of people but so many show up that his disciples start to freak out because they have nothing to feed them. Jesus tells them to collect some bread and fish but when they do, it’s a small amount. They are still freaking out but Jesus says, go ahead and pass it around and there will be enough. And so there was with many more in leftovers than was actually passed out.
But the Priest made a cool point here. He said that the loaves did not multiply as whole loaves but that they multiplied in the process of each person breaking off a piece and passing some along to the person next to them. That it was the act of sharing and giving that helped the food multiply and feed the crowd.
Skipping the religion part, isn’t this basically true? Things become “more” when we share them. Knowledge, compassion, charity, help.
Maybe our Grandpa gave us some wisdom and it becomes part of us. Down the road maybe we break off that piece of ourselves and share it. Maybe we share it with our kids, share it with our coworkers, whomever. That wisdom becomes more.
But it doesn’t stop there.
Beyond breaking off the information and passing it on, doesn’t it also benefit the giver? Certainly the act of giving is beneficial but it also cements the information given away as important. It says “what my grandpa taught me has value. It has worked for me, I believe it will work for this person, and I have reinforced its value so I will likely pass it on in the future again.”
And there is even more.
Beyond the actual information that is passed on, the act of breaking off a piece of ourselves and giving it away seeks to teach the person receiving the information that this is the proper way to act. When I pass on to my kids something I believe to be wisdom I don’t want them to simply pack it away. I want them to help others. To learn to break off a piece of themselves and give to others as they grow.
“More” again.
In the end, there is so much incredible experience and knowledge in each of us that I believe we have an obligation to find those important kernels and try to pass them on so that we may help others.
It is in this way that we all become more – together.