Some time back after returning from a free health check-up camp, I met a processor of Cardiology from Lucknow and started boasting that I had seen 100 patients free of charge today. He said do not get excited. Charity is a positive, but still not the absolute positive, unless it is done without any motive or done secretly.  He said that you were honored on the stage; you got blessings from the patients and people talked about you in positive sense. It was an investment in the long run and not an absolute charity. When you serve, never be honored on the stage by the people to whom you are serving. If you do so, then it is like give and take. The purpose of life should be to help others without any expectations.

Understanding helping others

When you help others, it should not harm somebody else even though your help is unconditional. If you promote somebody by superseding another deserving senior person, this is not a help as the person to whom you are helping will give you one blessing but the person to whom you have harmed will give you 10 curses. Ultimately you end up with minus 8 points.  Helping other means that it should give happiness to you, to the persons you have helped and also to others to whom you have not helped.

Helping always pays

The difference between American and Indian models is that Indians always think of now and do not invest in future.  Americans always plans for the future.  When we help somebody, we want that the same person should expect you by helping you when you are in need in a shorter run.  But charity does not believe in that. Your job is to help others and negate your negative past karmas. You never know, may be decades later you might receive help from a person who you had helped decades earlier. Help should never be linked to returns.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this write up are my own).