The gathering instincts that exist in most of us is a great thing if it is used to gather enough for the purposes of filling our storehouses. It works well if it is for purposes of gathering for future generations.
There is however a thin line between gathering and the one armed bandit syndrome. Many families and relationships have had disfunctions with this disease. I have been prompted to teach about this in some serminars but always found it absurd to go deeper. Today I feel the urge to till some ground for this message.
The one armed bandit syndrome, is when one person expects everything to come to them yet nothing goes out. Their hands receive yet their giving hand is tied as an incarcerated bandit in the old systems. Life has so many of these kind of self consuming gatherers. They get all they want at no cost to them, even gratitude is a free gift they withhold.
One armed bandits exist materially and all other ways. One armed bandits need to know that giving is not material only. You could give your time and change a life, you could have a chat with a suicidal man and give him a different perspective to his predicament.
You could give love in exchange of nothing, you could give everything for nothing and still be the happiest. The satisfaction from the repentance of one one armed bandit is an aspiration I would wait all day long for.
I have seen relationships fail with this gathering mentality. You date someone who does not add value to your being yet you give your all, mentally, physically and spiritually. Some configured takers take and posses all they must and accusing you of owing them eventually. Families are not spared in all this.. There are takers in families who have destroyed. They are savages who have ammassed so much from relatives with nothing in return. Some go to extremes of extorting and fraudulently gathering from their entrusted kinsmen.
A bitter pill to swallow for some!
Happy Sunday.
Ricky Cobb
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