Love is about giving

In wanting I give to receive, In loving I receive from giving

—Author unknown

My interpretation

I once received this beautiful quote as a message from an evolved soul. I find that there is wisdom and truth in it.

When we give something with an intention, deep down, there is a wanting that motivates our 'giving'. The intention may be purely material—as in giving our services to a company in return for monetary benefits. It could be something as noble as giving charity, expecting in return a feeling of contentment and worthiness. The intention is immaterial, as long as it is there.

When we give without any intention, love is the inspiration. When we love, selflessly and unconditionally, we simply give. There is no intention and no reason. It is giving for its own sake. The accompanying pleasure and delight is unexpected. We receive even without wanting to. The longstanding saying, "what goes around comes around" resonates this truth perfectly.

Great individuals like Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa demonstrated such love. They loved humanity and gave their heart, their soul, indeed their whole life, to the services of others—without expecting anything in return. Modern thinking is driven by the philosophy of "what's in it for me?" and quite often, we apply it even to our relationships. When we love with the expectation of receiving, we are not loving, we are only wanting.

Here's the irony: In wanting, very often there are no guarantees of receiving, even though the intention of giving is to receive. In loving, there is no intention to receive, but we do receive each time we give. What we receive though, is invisible, intangible, and priceless.