Superhuman

But if you give me something, that’s different because now I kind of feel like I owe you one. It could be a feeling of obligation, or you could say it’s a feeling of gratitude

If we choose to do work for generous reasons, and not for reciprocity or a long con but simply because we can, we stop believing that we are owed by others. The feeling of being owed will destroy our ability to do generous work. If the audience delivers a standing ovation because they’re supposed to, it’s hardly worth listening to or remembering. T

But what if we get to?

Imagine looking at the exchange of money as an alternative way to say things like:

Thank you!

Please keep going.

My life is better with this in it.

A signal of gratitude carries more weight than a forced action

PHILOSOPHER: And now, you are seeking only “to have something given” to you, without having given anything. Just like a beggar. It is not that you are poor financially, but that you are poor in spirit. YOUTH: You disrespectful son of a … !! PHILOSOPHER: We have to keep our hearts abundant and give what we have saved up to others. We must not wait f

For this reason alone, we may be willing to agree to perform a larger favor than the one we received, merely to relieve ourselves of the psychological burden of debt. A Japanese proverb makes this point eloquently: “There’s nothing more expensive than that which comes for free.”

If you see any situations where you benefit more, call them out publicly and make sure to rectify them as soon as possible. This makes the other person know that you pay your debts as soon as possible and are trustworthy and that you actively care about them and don’t want to cheat them. Of course, this also removes the burden of feeling taken adva