Give Back, Dammit!

Whatever unempirical being that created us, be it human, alien or nature itself, has bestowed upon us a series of emotions and reactionary impulses to those emotions.




At this time of the year, when giving is so abundant, I decided to take a look at my own reactions to those around me and see exactly what I'm hard-wired to do.



Of course this isn't the main theme of this Skewed Review; the main theme will actually tackle our ability and willingness to give to others less fortunate than we are. Not just during the holiday season but all year round.



But let me return to the first point I was making, and I'll let you stew in the juices of anticipation.



I find it intriguing, but also disappointing, that for the majority of people (myself included) when someone displays emotion toward us, the emotion we'll usually remember is anger.



If a stranger fails to hold a door for you, and it ends up hitting you in the face, does that stay with you the entire day? It usually does for me. Now I'm not saying I expect people to hold the door for me, but for heaven's sake, don't walk right in front of me and create the illusion that door-holding will be an action you'll be taking in the immediate future.



However, if I'm walking out of my local grocery store, or in this economy, my local food bank, and someone actually takes that extra second to hold open the door for me, the results are interesting. I will usually say "thank you," and continue on my way without giving it another thought.



Weird, huh?



Oh, for those of you who fail to hold doors for each other, even when you know for an absolute fact there is a person coming in behind you, you get four slaps from a St. George retired citizen's tote. The last smack will jar loose her box of Tic-Tacs, which will hit you squarely on the forehead, leaving a red rectangular pelt for all to see for the entirety of the day.



But back on track here. Why are we hard-wired to remember the bad things that happen to us over the good things? How many moments of charity have been bestowed upon us that we forget soon thereafter, if not immediately? And how many acts of cruelty or embarrassment happen to us that we carry to our graves?



It is one of those little mysteries in life.



There is one exception when it comes to remembering a good turn, and this is the part where we get to Thanksgiving dinners, Christmas presents, and all things Holiday.



How many of you have taken the time out of your life to dig into your pocket and give to the less fortunate around this chilly time of the year? My guess would be darn near all of you. Because deep down almost all of us are good people.



At Christmas time, we are taught that however bad we have it, there's always someone who has it worse, and we take advantage of that knowledge and give.



Food banks are filled to capacity, turkeys are donated to needy families, folks will buy random trinkets and give them to Toys for Tots, there's an Angel tree in every business, hey, I could go on all day.



Oh, and here's something I don't often do: a positive Skewed Review. For those of you who give during this time of year, even if it's just a trifle, you should get the next 365 days of the year having the door held for you wherever you go. That's right. Just give those hands of yours a break.



But now comes the part where I mash my two thoughts together.



Yes, when a person does you wrong, they'll forget it and you'll remember it for a long time to come. When someone does something right for you, you'll probably acknowledge it for a moment then it will slip away. We need to stop this.



Do you ever stop to wonder what happens to establishments like the Utah Food Bank and the Dove Center on every other day of the year that isn't related with a cold-weather holiday?



Now it's true there are donors year-round, but there aren't enough. I urge each and every one of you to donate to a charity this Christmas, and then donate again for New Year's. Donate for Valentines day, and St. Patricks Day, and April Fool's Day! Donate for Martin Luthur King Jr. day! Donate for the Fourth of July, and heck, donate if it's a Wednesday or if it's cloudy or if you just remembered the lyrics to that song that's been bugging you for the past week! They're all valid reasons.



Just because it isn't Christmas doesn't mean there aren't still those same people out there suffering who could use a helping hand in one way or another.



Now is the time to shove it in our creator's face. Don't worry about me, I'll deal with those lighting strikes later. But for now, let me let you in on a little secret.



Remember earlier when I told you having something horrible done to you stays with you longer than someone doing something nice to you? Well, screw you nature, because I've found the cure!



Did you know that doing something good for someone else erases a mean act someone else may have done to you? Cross my heart on this one. If you do a kind act for someone and donate to the needy, the universe erases the events of the last person who didn't hold the door for you.



Pretty wild huh?



If you happen to donate money, time or food, and you still feel as if that door-holding incident is looming over you, then you can be my next case study, because you are an anomaly of nature. Well, to put it a little more bluntly, you're a freak.



Now go people! Go erase all the misdeeds done to you by others, And do it all year long!