December 25 has passed (again), another birthday, and the usual rush of gift exchanges has begun, even before the sales. It's a good time to think about why we as humans exchange gifts with each other.
Anthropologist Chip Coyle says he is “fascinated” by the topic, and in his book “The Conversation,” he explores the origins of the gift-giving tradition.
The researcher points out that gifts serve many purposes, as some philosophers described them as an essential pleasure. Theologians already associate giving a gift to someone as a way to show love, kindness, gratitude, and other moral values, and many thinkers, such as Nietzsche, consider gifts to be the best way to show altruism.
But the anthropologist points out that the best explanation came from a “colleague” of his, Marcel Mauss, who in 1925 offered what he considered “the most convincing explanation.”
Moss was fascinated by how indigenous people, throughout northwestern Canada and the USA, celebrated “potlatch” celebrations, which last entire days and in which the hosts donate various goods to the guests. This is presented as an extreme example of gift-giving, but it is a behavior seen in almost all human societies: giving things even when we keep them for ourselves would make more economic and evolutionary sense.
According to Mauss, three distinct actions are distinguished in this process: giving, receiving, and reciprocating. The first act demonstrates the giver's virtues of generosity, kindness, and honor.
The second moment is the moment of receiving, which refers to the recipient's desire to be honored. The recipient shows generosity by being willing to accept what has been offered.
Reciprocity is the third element in the equation, and one that has proven to be key: The person who received the gift, implicitly or explicitly, is now expected to return the gift to the person who initially gave it.
Thus, an endless cycle of give and take is created, which builds and maintains relationships and is intrinsically linked to ethics.
“Gifting is an expression of justice because each gift generally has a value equal to or greater than the value of the last gift. Giving a gift is an expression of respect because it shows a desire to honor another person. In this way, gift-giving brings people together.” It keeps people together. “It keeps people together.” “Connected in an infinite circle of mutual obligations,” the researcher summarizes, referring to Mauss’s essay “The Gift.”
Are we really making the best use of Moss's conclusions? There is indeed room for discussion… Chip Coyle points out that Moss's idea was not to promote unbridled consumerism, but rather the opposite: to prove that the more significant and personal a particular gift is, the greater the respect and honor it demonstrates. Essentially, giving force to the age-old principle that “intent is what matters.”
Therefore, a personal gift, reused objects, old or symbolic objects with sentimental value, a walk in the fresh air, a trip to a restaurant, a plan for two, a gift made from recycled products, can be richer gift ideas. . More spiritual than any mass-produced, plastic-wrapped product that travels halfway around the world.
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