When Kahlil Gibran said you give but little if you give of your possessions is when you give of yourself that you truly give- what did he mean?

Answer 1

For most individuals, giving away "things" - money, clothes, used CDs and DVDs, etc. is easy. It takes little time and one can always acquire more of these. On the other hand, our time - ourselves - is priceless. Once given away, no more can be had. It is a finite resource. For example, when I'm away on business, I can bring my children toys or some other gifts and they will appreciate it. But, that gift quickly joins the mix of other possessions they have. But, when I'm home, we do things together - play games, go to the park, go swimming, make crafts - that yield memories that will remain with them forever. Here's another example, every Thanksgiving my son and I volunteer to help serve and deliver meals to shut-ins and the poor. There are usually around 50 volunteers helping with this community project. If all these volunteers merely gave $$ or food, there would be plenty of food, but no one to prepare, serve, or deliver it. Thus, the volunteers who show up Thanksgiving morning to do the work are infinitely more important to this project than donations of money or food. Heck, if we all showed up and noone had donated money or food, we would quickly go grocery shopping with our own money, come back to the center, then prepare the meals for serving and delivering.

Answer 2

Kahlil Gibran meant that true giving comes from the heart, from sharing a part of yourself with others. Material possessions can be replaced, but when you give of yourself, you are giving something of lasting value and significance. Giving of your time, understanding, and empathy is a deeper and more meaningful form of generosity.