Offerings
TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 3 Apr 2023
Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service
Efforts after Resolving Questions and Answers: Obligations, Duties, Responsibilities
Reflections from 2016, 2018, 2019, 2023
Introduction
“Offerings” is typically associated with religious doctrines, referring to the process of making amends through various personal sacrifices which atone for misdeeds (sins?). The Psychology of “Offerings” is, however, complex and unique for each individual and situation, especially regarding the specifics or perceived reasons for engaging in “Offerings.”
An interaction with a question and answer, could be as simple as a picadillo, or could be a profound matter, compelling a person to accommodate to existential issues, such as “Identity” and “Purpose,” (e.g., Who am I”, “How do I manifest my personal and social responsibilities? What are the consequences of asking and replying to questions and answers?)
These are virtuous questions, reflecting constant efforts among Humanity, pursuing renewal and self-redemption, a personal confessional. This is my reason for sharing this essay on “Offerings.”
Unfortunately, the term “Offering” has now become a popular term among real estate agencies who label their collection of house sales as “offerings,” in various colorful displays to promote sales. In some ways, a restaurant “Menu” is a listing of “offerings” available to please your palate. Gift-giving can also be considered an “offering,” especially in those instances when gift is offered with love, gratitude, and appreciation.
These uses of “Offerings” have not sullied the more existential meaning in of “Offerings” within this essay; rather, they generate associations across commercial and interpersonal processes which support my purpose in submitting this essay. “Offerings,” aside from commercial uses, are an essential part of life, bringing restitution, renewal, freedom.
The processes and consequences of “Offerings” vary. In this instance, I have chosen to recall and reexamine those situations in my life when I responded to a request. Were my responses adequate? Were my responses useful? Did I fulfill may social interactions?
Offerings: What Do I “Give” of Myself
Across the years, I have thought about my responses to requests I have received. I think of my responses as offerings, what I give of myself and my resources, to the many requests made to me by others. In so many ways, my responses, as “Offerings” have become arbiters of defining my being, defining self-identity, and fulfilling my purposes in life. It is an ongoing self-appraisal.
We appraise our lives across time, oftentimes experiencing a “crisis” in teen years which exhaust our capacity to respond. Perhaps, however, teen years are not the only time when appraisal brings a crisis of identity. Elderly people, faced with the inevitability of passing, wonder about their life, hoping and appraisal of “virtues” exceed “flaws.”
Examples of My Responses to Questions (Requests)
- You ask for drink, I give you water;
- You ask for food, I give you bread and seeds;
- You ask for shelter, I open my door;
- You ask for reason, I teach you math, philosophy, religion;
- You ask for purpose, I teach you poetry;
- You ask for pride, I give you a mirror;
- You ask for love, I say: “Embrace your heart;”
- You ask for comfort, I hug you;
- You ask for money, I empty my pockets;
- You ask for revenge, I say “Dig two graves;”
- You ask for compassion, I stare at your eyes;
- You ask for peace, I say “Tell me more!”
- You ask for friendship, I press your hand to my breast;
- You ask for knowledge, I give you books, biographies, movies;
- You ask for hope, I say “Tell me your story;”
- You ask for happiness, I say “Smile;”
- You ask for courage, I reply: “Stand;”
- You ask for meaning, I give you a blade of grass;
- You ask for order, I reply: “Beethoven’s symphonies;”
- You ask for chaos, I reply: “Beethoven’s symphonies;”
- You ask for hope, I give you a dandelion;
- You ask for understanding, I reply: “Yes!”
- You ask for help, I hold your hand;
- You ask for love, I accompany you!
My responses have varied. Some have been “immediate” satisfactions, while others require the “passages of time” for satisfaction. “You ask for patience, I do not answer.”
What requests have you made of others? What replies have you given to requests made to you? There are considerable ethnocultural and racial differences in consequences and implications of “Offerings.”
Cultural Variations . . .
- Filipino Culture . . .
In some cultural traditions, both asking questions and receiving and receiving answers have profound obligatory implications. For example, in the traditional Filipino culture, a central value is “Utang Na Loob.” Asking and replying is associated with “Shame.” “Shame” can isolate a person from the group. To be told: “Walang Hiya!” means “You lack shame!” This a condemnation you that you are not socialized.
Another primary value among Filipino people, perhaps because the majority belong to Catholicism/Christianity, is the term: Bahala Na, Ng Bahala Na. This translates as acceptance of one’s fate rooted in religion. It is up to God! It is God’s will! It is fixed destiny and must be accepted! From a Western point of view, it is a negative response; however, from a Filipino point of view, it has positive implications. I used the term “optimistic fatalism” in my research in Manila.
It is not unusual during certain holiday periods in the Philippines, to find some penitents crucified or whipping their body as they walk thru the streets. These are examples of extreme religiosity, and are not normative “Offerings.” They do, however represent the intensity with which “Offerings” can be taken in the Philippines. It would be valuable to study the nature and meaning of “Offerings” among the more than 19 regional languages distributed over a vast region of Islands.
More typically, prayers and lighting votive candles are used, and every effort is made to fulfill an obligation. At the point in a Catholic Mass, when the priest elevates the chalice to heaven, for transubstantiation, the penitent says: “Mea Culpa, Mea Culpa, Mea Maxima Culpa!” “My fault, my blame, my total and complete sin!”
As a child, I asked myself “Just what did I do or say, that I should ask forgiveness. The religion answer is “original” sin, a concept I have never understood, even as I committed every-day sins which seemed far more grievous.
- Traditional Japanese Culture . . .
In traditional Japanese culture, the concept of “On” is used to assure mutuality, it is like a social glue. According to Google (3/31/2003, 11:00 AM):
On 恩 which translated definition is a favor; a benefit; an obligation; a debt of gratitude; kindness; goodness. On 恩 is an obligation when someone does something for or to another. On is in all uses a load, indebtedness, a burden, which one carries as best one may.
In addition to “On,” Japanese tradition concepts of “Giri,” is also relevant. Wikipedia states:
Giri (義理) is a Japanese value roughly corresponding to “duty“, “obligation“, or even “burden of obligation” in English. It is defined as “to serve one’s superiors with a self-sacrificing devotion. It is also associated with the complex Japanese values that involve . . . moral debt.
I studied Japanese culture and language, and I have written articles on Japanese culture’s complex and beautiful nature, now changing in some ways amidst acculturation, but never surrender to Western-European culture penetrations via technology and political alliances. Social expectations are essential to continue “harmony.”
Seeking “perfection” in Japanese arts (e.g., Ikebana or Cha Tea Ceremony) is about losing self or diminishing self. A person is a member of a larger collective, and asserting Self, challenges the harmony. Self is collective, diffuse, unindividuated. It is part of a larger cultural context which finds itself expressed in tangible metaphorical languages, rather than vague abstractions. Implications for “Offerings” become rooted in serious obligations, with failures considered profound disturbances of perceived individual and collective identity. Social status is negative!
I have read much Japanese literature in English (e.g., Spring Snow, Kokoro), yet it is clear, I cannot access unique Japanese ways of being in the world, and the essentials of interpersonal interactions. The language, preference metaphorical communications, and nature of the “self” are part of the interpersonal simultaneous product and process. Bowing is in itself a reflection of respect, and civility, but it is so much more. I bow and hand my card, while accepting the other’s card, deftly reading the inscribed status, and wondering: “Now what do I do?”
Closing . . .
Asking questions and offering replies is embedded in much more than a simple interaction, especially when considered in a distinct cultural context. For example, think of the following example occurring on a final exam: “Hey Jack, (Yoshi, Felipe) what is the answer to #24 on the exam?” “I dunno; I think it is 50! No! 52! You owe me!”
___________________________________________
Anthony J. Marsella, Ph.D., a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment, is a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility, Emeritus Professor of psychology at the University of Hawaii’s Manoa Campus in Honolulu, Hawaii, and past director of the World Health Organization Psychiatric Research Center in Honolulu. He is known internationally as a pioneer figure in the study of culture and psychopathology who challenged the ethnocentrism and racial biases of many assumptions, theories, and practices in psychology and psychiatry. In more recent years, he has been writing and lecturing on peace and social justice. He has published 21 books and more than 300 articles, tech reports, and popular commentaries. His TMS articles may be accessed HERE. Emails: marsella@hawaii.edu or ajmarsella@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 3 Apr 2023.
Anticopyright: Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgement and link to the source, TMS: Offerings, is included. Thank you.
If you enjoyed this article, please donate to TMS to join the growing list of TMS Supporters.
This work is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.