Sermon On Reciprocity

Erik Pevernagie, a Belgian painter and writer once remarked: “While we are threading our way through the vagaries of life, our shortage of reciprocity and solidarity may corner us into breaches of culpability. We can eschew this and kindle a dream of universalism that does not impose itself but emerges from the world's numerous cultural and topical particularities and enable us to compare, discern, and identify, allowing us to marvel at the diversity. In this way, we can embrace universal recognition, human understanding, peace of mind, and compassion with others and with ourselves.” Matthew 7:12 confirms: “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Reciprocity is defined as the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit. It can include such advantageous actions as cooperation, sharing similar ideas, or providing informal mutual aid. This philosophy can produce a sense of hope, unity and comradeship in forsaken circumstances. It can apply to many different scenarios in life whether they be of a political or on a personal nature that achieves positivity or production between two or more persons. Just as flowers can provide an aroma that fills the air with a beautiful scent and may create a special sense of peace, so it can calm aggression or concerns in a person or insect. Alternatively, by the release of its own particular fragrance, it may attract a specific pollinator for the purpose of fertilization and replication of the next generation. Genesis 1:12 reminds us: “The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.”

Jagadish “Jaggi” Vasudev, better known by the honorific title “Sadhguru,” an Indian yoga guru and proponent of spirituality once remarked: “Every Jasmine flower that blooms exudes wonderful fragrance, as per its nature. Then why can’t every human being exude their humanity?” Genesis 1:26 confirms: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Humanity is defined as the quality or state of being human. As part of that state, humanity itself may portray the revered characteristics of compassion, sympathy, or generous behavior or disposition. Unfortunately, for some inhabitants, the opposite may equally apply.

Scientific research has ascertained that most people, but not all, are said to have basic attributes, known as the five senses. These are generally referred to as eyesight, hearing, taste, touch and smell. However, it has also been suggested that humans have the ability or capacity to sense much more than these. Some people in life may suffer from the lack of individual senses to a partial or full degree. Blindness affects many and is a typical example of one such impairment. Some people are deaf or have hearing difficulties without the possession of aids. Others can’t discern the difference in foods. To them, everything tastes virtually the same. Hypoesthesia or numbness is a common side effect of various medical conditions that manifests as a reduced sense of touch or sensation or a partial loss of sensitivity to sensory stimuli. Anosmia is the partial or full loss of smell. Anosmia can be a temporary or permanent condition depending on whether it is medically related or otherwise.

Neuroscientists consider that there are many other senses attributable to the human body, these can include a sense of balance, which everyone needs to stop them falling over as they walk around or ride bikes, etc. Kinesthesia is the awareness of various parts of the body and their direct function, such as feet which move in coordination with one another when walking, without one having to watch their every step. Perhaps the function of hands when they are playing musical instruments or typing without the need to look at the machine.

The understanding of a comfort zone may enter the equation. Do we need to add an item of clothing to stay warm or perhaps remove one when the body temperature rises? The sense of pain such as when we touch something hot and quickly remove the particular part that is in contact with the unwanted and painful sensation. It has been stated that the human body may have up to thirty-three different senses. Some will work individually and some as a combination with others. However, perhaps the most important sense of all is the undeniable sense of the presence of God.

The reciprocity principle could be described as the basic fundamentals of give and take. If people share what they have and disregard all selfishness in life, then others are far more likely to return the good deed in other ways. It is considered as one of the basic laws of psychology. If a person is walking down the street in a small community and sees another approaching from the opposite direction, if he has the politeness to say “Good Morning”, then the chances are that he will receive the same in return. 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 reminds us: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful.”