Potlatch: A Lesson In Sharing & Caring

The act of giving and/or receiving may sound like a simple concept, but for many it can be a challenge. There’s a lot of effort involved in determining whether to buy or make a gift and how much to spend, especially after some of the commercial trappings associated with the holiday season.

Yet in reality, it’s the Chi that shows us the way. The best example is Pulling In The Energy, where there is a give and take of the universal Chi that connects each of us.

This communal process with other T’ai Chi Chih practitioners, our fellow man and the world at large is both awe-inspiring and rejuvenating. But anyone reading these pages is already aware of such principles. How then, can we relay this message of generosity in a broader format?

Many early cultures have practiced, out of necessity, a form of community service where everyone looks out for one other. One of the best examples might be that of the American Indian tradition known as Potlatch where the host of a ceremony would give away material wealth (food, clothing, weaponry) to guests, knowing by the end of the event their home could be bare. But this same person could regain important necessities or prized possessions the next time he was the guest at a similar event.

Potlatch is about more than karma or religious dogma like “do onto others as you’d like done to yourself.” At its core is the belief that each of us is responsible for creating a generous, caring connection with those around us. This in turn allows an entire community to have a collective sense of wellbeing and support where we are more focused on the whole rather than the one.

So the question might be how best can we within the TCC community carry out this concept? The obvious answer is discussing it in our individual classes. Another alternative is hosting our own Potlatch-type events where we give gifts to guests or even money. But creativity and gratitude could lead to infinite possibilities even for those not actively involved with our pursuits. Let’s make generous acts of giving and receiving our collective goal. Here’s to paying it forward this year and beyond.