LIFE AS A GIFT

 

A gift is something received from another with little or no qualification for it. That is, gifts are usually received not as a right but as a privilege from the giver. And there is usually an end in view for which such is given. Another thing about gifts is that the nature of the gift is determined solely by the giver. This is not to say that there are situations where an expectant receiver of gifts demands that the gifts to be given be in a given nature. But make a removal of some of these situations; gifts are the presentations of the giver freely given without the right of the receiver for a particular purpose. Hence, we can have many kinds of things presented as gifts according to the wish of the donor.

However, there has been a controversy over the nature of gifts. This controversy though more implicit than explicit stems from the very saying that Life is a gift. This saying wherever it must have emanated from has caused so many problems in the human society such that only a critical examination of it may be a rescue to the human society. The implicit controversy stems from the very fact that most people in the way they live their lives do not see life as a gift. In fact, they see it as their right to be alive. And so with this orientation which has influenced their life styles, the other group in the controversy have tried to assert that life is a gift.

Life being a gift or not being a gift may not be a problem here provided there is an adequate justification of any position taken in this matter. Hence, that is why proponents of the case that life is not a gift say that Life is personal and as such it cannot be a gift. On the contrary, proponents of the view that life is a gift have produced many arguments to support their stand. And so the essence of this literary labour is to add sugar to the pot of wine that says that Life is a gift with the aim of refuting the claim that life is not a gift.

Biologically, human life is a product of the matrimonial act done with the aim of giving life to some non-existent body and in the words of beloved Plato, was still in the world of forms. Now, one can argue that this act in some case is carried out without the intention of producing life and at times too, it is done out of wedlock. In any case, suffice it to be said that under normal circumstance, the whole thing is done within the wedlock. Now, the non-existent body never had the right to possess life. This is because where it to be so, it will come at any time and place as it wishes. Instead, through the powers of the natural forces, the body begets life courtesy of the parents. For those who may add that delay in accepting the life is a form of decision, I still want to say that acceptance presupposes a gift; for if nothing is being given, nothing is being accepted and delayed. Therefore, life is a gift to a body willing to have it.

Man is a social being by nature. For my good friend Aristotle, man necessarily lives in the human society or he is either a beast or a spirit.  To some extent, humans can live alone; but when a visit is made to the ever-lonely Robinson Crusoe, such a claim may be slumped. Humans can always received everything about their lives implicitly or explicitly free from other people. Consider the time of birth and childhood days.  From birth, humans have been beneficiaries of different gifts from people. The first beneficiary of the child is the parents who brought him or her into the world and continue to care of him/her. As a child, his being bathed, fed, clothed, etc. As he continues to grow, he is assisted to be socialised in the society and in other ways, he continues to enjoy the assistance of others as he attains growth and development.

Moreover, as he grows (the child) he receives some gifts from people in terms of services he receives. Although at a certain point, he may begin to finance those services, the fact remains that he still relies on others to provide those services for sales and until these services are provided, the man and his finance may not have been valued. That is why without the sellers in the market, the rich man cannot see food to buy citeris paribus; which means that the availability of those goods and services are products of the gifts of others.

Besides these gifts humans received from others to aid their growth and development in many aspects of human life in the society, there is another superior gift that humans enjoy from beginning to the end unless when the natural time calls for us home-coming. This superior gift is ever-given to humans from an ever superior being. From birth this Supreme Being taken to mean God from the Christian point of view continues to give humans the gift of life. He guards human while they travel, provides him with rain and sun that will help improve the ecosystem and so enhance the “good health” of the society by implication. 

More so, God is ever generous in giving gifts. To all human beings, God gives the gift of talents. We all have received many talents from God except those who have failed to discover and develop theirs. Some are given the gift of riches and wealth; some are given intelligence, some are given the gift of speech; some are given the gift of teaching and counselling etc. Each of these gifts is given for the purpose of making life and existence very comfortable especially as humans pull their natural resources together. That was why the missionary St Paul will say that there are many spiritual gifts as there are many parts of the body. Though separate, they are united in making the body of Christ-the Church complete.

Thus, in all these cases, we can see that life and all that sustains it are gifts. No one deserves them and no one can boast to have got them by his natural prowess without the input and impact of the Supreme Being and others. Hence life or existence is a cobweb of gifts, where there is sharing and reception of gifts from the top and at the bottom level. It is only in this light following from our observation above that we can understand that life is really a gift from God and those around.

In the controversy between those who believe that life is a gift and those who do not, when there is claim that life is really a gift, the question that follows it becomes; what is the essence of such a life that is simply a gift.

The essence of life as a gift lies in the very fact that it is called to be gift to other human lives. Since each life is a gift from God Ultimately, human lives should, be lived for others as gifts to them so that through them and in them God continues to present gift to people. Since human life is an expression of benevolence from God and others, charity demands that the same acts of benevolence be extended to others in dire need of it.

In the society there are those who are suffering and lack the basic needs of life. The task of he who has been helped is to reciprocate that same act of assistance to others. The poor and needy greatly need the gift of the wealthy for them to enjoy for a moment the joys of existence as God as really made the wealthy man so.

There are many people who are in need in the Academia. Charity demands that those who have received the gift of knowledge and understanding help the “young”  ones in that aspect. This will clearly be shown by when students sacrifice their leisure just to help their colleague. This will be shown when students share materials among themselves; because in one way or the other that material has been received as a gift. The different places and areas we find ourselves should be places we share our gifts with those around; so that what we enjoy could be enjoyed by others as well.

Is there anything that humans have that does not have the trace of the divine in it? If is wealth which was possible got through hard work, was it not possible through God’s kindness? If it is intelligence, was not given as a talent and the strength to develop it too? What can one claim to have that does not ultimately lead to God as the originator? NONE! In other words, all gifts possessed by humans came from God as gifts. Their essence is not for personal use alone, but for the public too.

Unfortunately the reverse has been the cases in the human society as people hoard these gifts from the consumption of others. In fact what happens today is that people have become too selfish and wicked to the point that after hoarding their gifts, they still come directly or indirectly to sap those of the others. Of course we cannot claim that this is not the case; for it is not the case, why has the human society lacked growth and development especially within our immediate society? We see situations where students cheat themselves by rejecting to help their fellows or to help them very minutely. Or have we not find those who are too proud of their gifts and at that they cannot listen to anyone neither can they come together to better the society? Our intelligence, wealth and talents are gifts. The life itself that harbours all these talents is a gift from God. If that is the case, should we not reciprocate these gifts by sharing them with others? The giver of these gifts has an end in view and when one tries to thwart it either by selfishness or non-challancy, he or she may lose it; for pride they say appears before a good fall.

Life is a gift from others and meant for others. This is the meaning of life as a gift.

Nwanyanwu Chris