Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

There is a difference between a gift and a contract. I have met many people who fail to notice that.

Persons give other persons gifts. Many of these gifts are not gifts – they are contracts.

Here are a few signs that gifts are contracts. In contracts, the giver says something like:

• I’m giving this to you if…
• I’m giving this to you so you can…
• This gift is for…

Contracts have conditions.

If the receiver does not follow the conditions, the giver is angry or something like that. If you give something to a person and are upset with what they do, you didn’t give a gift. Instead, you had a contract.

Gifts are unconditional.

• Here is some money. (Do with it what you want)

The words in parentheses are usually not said. The giver has no regrets regardless of what the receiver does.

There is a difference between giving something with conditions and giving something unconditionally. If you have conditions, state them. If the receiver cannot live with the conditions, don’t give.