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(Part 9qq of 11)
Worlds function in a healthier manner the more we give away stuff and give of self, without a “you must promise to scratch my back when called upon” clause.
I thought we'd made progress in the free and gift department. On the one hand it a good thing there are papers, journals, magazines, bulletin boards, websites and grapevines that facilitate connecting those who want to give something away and those who can use those things.
On the other hand, the logic still lingers in too many who expect you to keep the gifts they give you, till death do you part, or at least theft or fire.
Why should I be required to keep a gift you decided I needed and wanted? I certainly can't require you to give me a gift.
The argument has already been made many times. A gift is a gift and once you give it, it's gone. To you it no longer belongs. It's uncool to get salty if someone passes the gift along. Would you prefer the person keep it and not enjoy it or simply keep it in the closet? All those kinds of expectations attached to a free gift is unhealthy.
But now I move to the impetus for this message. I check Craigslist regularly, for the really good free stuff. Of course it helps save a lot of natural resources from going in the trash. I think this is the same intent of those who are giving stuff away, but sometimes it makes me wonder when I read certain phrases and statements in the posting that are stipulations that equate to “I'll give it to you, if you do such and such.”
1. Free To A Good Home: This is usually in reference to a dog or a cat, First of all, why is there nobody that person knows in all the places they go, who wants that dog or cat? Second of all, how are they going to determine what a good home is? By going to the caller's house, doing interviews, background checks, etc.? Nobody wants to send their pet to a bad home. So there's no point in putting “to a good home” in the posting. It's an indicator of a nervous, worrisome controlling person (mental illness) and someone you don't want the aggravation of dealing with. Which is probably why the person doesn't know anybody personally who wants the beloved pet. Somehow the person has managed to be an isolated pet owner away from the flow of other pet owners or people wanting to be pet owners. So I suspect [postings such as these have fewer takers than they normally should.
2. Free To A Good Home: This is in reference to chickens and other farm animals. Saying free to a good home in this instance is even worse than saying it in regards to a pet. For 99 percent of the population, farm animals are for fattening up and eating; therefore a good home is one that will eat the animal and waste as little as possible. Does the person expect someone to raise the animal as a pet? Every once and awhile a posting will say, “for the farm or for the pot.” Now that's free.
3. Curb Alert! Hurry!: Most of these are out of habit of copying what others have written. The only thing really bad is when something is put on the curb that can be damaged by the weather. Why would you put it out there and expect someone to rush right over or see the posting soon enough? Is the space the item was occupying no longer available? I understand some people don't want to deal with phone calls or someone coming to their front door or in their house, but are you trying to help someone or are you trying to turn the quest for free stuff into the great road race to see who can get there first? Why can't people post a picture and/or description of a weather vulnerable item, and then state it will be on the curb on this date by this time? Yes sometimes more than one person will show up but at least the item will be protected from getting damaged before it can even be used.
4. Must Be Gone ASAP! Must Be Gone Today!: Did you wake up that morning and realize that something you needed yesterday, you don't need it today, and it must be gone right away? The other part of this is when people say they are moving. Did this moving decision just happen? I further suspect people who want you to rush over are those who had been trying to sell the item or give it friends who said no thanks.
5. Must Take Everything: This one is really ridiculous. Someone usually posts this when they have decided to clean out a house, room, shed or garage. There's a bunch of random items. You see something you want, but you don't bother because you had no intentions of needing a truck to carry away all the rest of the stuff or feeling forced to take stuff you don't want just because you want a small portion.
6. Thinly Veiled Attempt To Get You To Work For Free: They offer you things that require a lot of work to dismantle or remove or dig up or cut down. This is usually those who have a pile of something that's been sitting around for a long time or a fence that needs to be taken down. To make matters worse, they expect you to work nonstop to take everything away in one day.
We all know who the people are that put these types of statements in postings. They interview you on the phone and when you get there, they ask the final imposing question: What you gonna do with it? In these instances, I've learned to just tell people what they want to hear, and not tell them how I'm going to really use the item. Whatever the item was used for is the same way I'm going to use the item. Thank you.
Truth is, there's enough resources in the world for everything needed, to be free to all humans and all other creatures. That doesn't mean nobody works. Everybody should work who can, doing what they are optimally best at. Optimal use of genetic potential always results in surplus and abundance. Even in our suboptimal societies, there's enough free stuff in the hands of humans for all humans to get the free stuff they need, even food, shelter, clothing, utilities, healthcare, education and so on. This is accomplished through the bartering of surplus unimpeded by human regulation. That's why the ecosystem works. Imagine if humans could tax the ecosystem and require it to be licensed and approved before the ecosystem could do anything?
Even with all the charitable things we do today, many people are still without basic needs that are a right of creation. Many of those basics, in some way, most of us throw away, waste, underutilize or fail to recycle in an optimal manner. This creates an imbalance that leans towards the cost and expense side. But that's okay because we are living during the high-point of intelligence and civilization.
It might be a good idea to not ask people about the free stuff and gifts you gave them. If they don't mention it, either they are not using it, gave it away, or forgot you gave it to them. All of these make for uncomfortable relations when you bring it up.
I know I'm not the only one who is annoyed by the foolish expectations and stipulations people attach to free stuff and gift giving. There's nothing like free stuff and gifts, until something goes wrong, before you get it.
Perhaps that's why, the other day, I saw a bunch of dogs, cats and chickens dragging a couch, desk and some chairs off into the woods, while two goats who were ahead of them, clearing a path, stopped to jump on twin box springs I was just about to pick up. Just my luck with free stuff!
