John D. Rockefeller, then the richest man in the world, was asked how much money he wanted. His reply: “Just a little more.”

That sounds like many of us doesn’t it? We all seem to want a little more—money, real estate, and gadgets. Because we want more, we neglect giving more. Because we focus on the temporary benefits of possessions, we neglect the eternal benefits of giving.

Aristotle, advocate of the Golden Mean (a balance between excess and scarcity), believed that not all the things we want turn out to be good for us. Some things if received in excess may interfere with serving others. By focusing on the temporary, we miss the eternal.

We all require enough wealth to obtain food, drink, shelter and clothing but too much wealth and too many gadgets can prevent us from giving to others and may focus our eyes what is seen rather than the unseen benefits of giving.

Perhaps a recent message making the rounds on the Internet sums up Aristotle’s the benefits of giving: 

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more. I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess. I wish you enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Good-bye.”