LIFE'S FULL CIRCLE

How often have how we heard the expressions of “What comes around goes around”; You reap what you sow”; “One good turn deserves another”? Yet, what meaning that does truly hold for any of us on a day-to-day basis?

While most people believe in coincidence, happenstance and such, I believe in the Karmic aspect of life. A goodly number of people believe that to mean, for example, by making a contribution to a worthy cause or individual, I expect to be somehow personally rewarded in some fashion. Does this really make it an unconditional gesture?

In other words, many people believe that we are rewarded BECAUSE we did a goodly deed. However, contrary to popular belief, that is not the way it appears to work. Perhaps the accurate, and karmic, perspective is that we do a goodly deed AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS that we are rewarded. (Please do not misinterpret this as simply semantics.)

Do you see the difference? A majority of the “good” that people do has within it the ulterior motive of a reward forthcoming. There are, however, those who do goodly deeds without any true expectation or anticipation of some form of reward coming their way. This is the truest form of contribution.

The ancient Hebrew philosophy describes the act of “Tzedakah”. Tzedakah is based on a root meaning justice. Tzedakah refers to performing charity, and philanthropic acts, which Judaism emphasizes are important parts of living a spiritual life; Jewish tradition points out that the highest form of tzedakah is to anonymously give donations to unknown recipients. In other words, neither the giver nor the recipient knows of one another. Unlike philanthropy, which is where the giver, much of the time, has an underlying, albeit sub-conscious, ego-driven motive and the recipient is made humbled by the gift…true tzedakah, on the other hand, is seen as a deed, which should be performed regardless of financial standing or acknowledgment, and the sole reward is between the giver and his/her Maker.

This creates a situation where in the deed is not conceived with the ulterior motive of doing this BECAUSE you expect to be rewarded; the deed is made AND IT JUST SO HAPPENS that you are rewarded.

In the latter 1970’s, I was conducting a seminar with over 300 attendees. At the two-thirds point in the program I offered to the participants the opportunity to ask, and receive, a full refund of their monies if the experience of my program appeared to offer no lasting benefits.

A gentleman did indeed ask for his refund. End of story…or so I thought.

Fast forward to the year 2009. More than thirty years have passed. I receive a phone call from this same individual. His name is Don. He found me via ‘Google’. Don tells me that it took years for him to recognize that he did indeed find great and lasting value in my work with him. He goes on to ask if he can do something for me as an act of Tzedakah to compensate for the refund he received. It so happens that Don has vast experience in an arena that I have been seeking help in launching a program that would enable hundreds of thousands of folks, world-wide, to benefit from my life’s work.

Don appeared in my life as an Angel, a miracle, at the precise moment that I was in futility in making my vision a reality. Suffice it to say that, with the expertise offered to me by this man, my vision, my mission, my dream, is about to be launched.

What goes around does, in fact, come around. In ways that I would never, in my wildest dreams, have expected. I fervently believe that I did a goodly and ethical deed, expecting nothing in return...AND IT JUST SO HAPPENED that I was incredibly rewarded.

This, to me, is how life’s full circle operates for all of us.

With great respect,
Len

Len Merson,
Founder, C.E.O.
Chaos Over, Inc.

1-88-VERY CALM (Toll Free line)
619.980.7372 (Direct line)
619.291.1709 (Facsimile line)
Lmerson@chaosover.com