The Paradox of Selfless Giving
The answer is based on the observations noted in the presented sources. Essentially, people tend to give more than they receive, because the act of giving is perceived as an affirmation of one’s own significance and a way to express unconditional love, in which a person almost forgets about themselves. As stated in the quote from file link txt: "To us, it seems that giving is one of the ways to assert oneself, to show oneself and others one’s significance. But receiving from a person on these terms is very painful. Love can only give when it forgets about itself; when a person gives, as one of the German writers said, like a bird sings, from the abundance of its own: not because a gift is required or compelled, but because giving is the song of the soul, a joy in which one can forget oneself for the happiness of another. Such love, which knows how to give, is much rarer than we imagine." Moreover, receiving remains a complex process, as it often conjures a feeling of dependency or even humiliation. This is reflected in the material from file link txt, which explains: "On the other hand, in love one must know how to receive; but receiving is sometimes much harder than giving. We all know how excruciating it can be to receive something, to experience a favor from a person whom we either do not love or do not respect; it is humiliating, insulting." Thus, the observation that people give more than they receive suggests that the true essence of a gift and sacrifice is not exchange or trade, but a selfless manifestation of love and generosity. A gift is typically an expression of attention and self-sacrifice, implying the ability to give from the abundance of one’s being rather than out of necessity or with an expectation of return. This also indicates that even in a religious context, true grace is considered a gift that cannot be earned, but is given as an expression of the highest grace, as noted in file link txt, where it is stated: "No, before God we are perpetual debtors, because the life He has prepared for the sons of God cannot in any way be ‘earned’ by us. It cannot be deserved, even if we were a thousand times more beautiful and noble than we are now..." Thus, the tendency to give is explained by the aspiration for self-expression, the search for truth through unselfish giving, and the demonstration of a readiness to set aside one’s own ego for another. This underlines that the essence of a gift and sacrifice lies in self-sacrifice and sincere love, which does not expect immediate return but rather seeks spiritual transformation and enrichment for both the giver and the receiver.