Being Open to Contribution

Have you ever noticed
People seem a little weird
About letting others
Contribute to them.
It’s as if the acceptance of assistance
Somehow demeans the recipient.

There is a cult of independence
To which many of us apparently subscribe,
That loudly proclaims
That we can do it on our own,
That we don't need anyone else,
That we are givers, not takers.

We act as if
It’s a sign of weakness
Whenever someone else
Is able to contribute to us,
Instead of being thankful
That people are so kind.

A classic example is the guy I encountered
At the check out counter
Who was twenty-five cents short
Of the money he needed,
Yet who seemed completely embarrassed
To accept the money from me, a stranger.

Observe the difficulty
Most of us seem to have
With accepting coaching,
We love to advise others
But hate to take advice ourselves,
A prominent double standard.

Though we are all motivated
By the desire to contribute,
Or to make a difference
In the world around us,
We want it to be the other guy
Who receives, not us.

How ironic that so few of us
Seem open to contribution
When our very openness
Could be a contribution to others!