If you live a fulfilling ordinary life, someone who can love and live for conscious sake rather than for glory, you’re usually happier.

But too often that’s not what’s sold in our culture today.

We are told big shots are great marvelous people and that should be the goal. That consumption means happiness, getting away with things and taking means happiness, and that giving means unhappiness.

That if you give something, you lose something, and that is painful. If you get something, its pleasant, and you are happy.

In doing so, we join forces with the excessive rather than humanity.

You see, the same kind of satisfaction you get from the infantile gratification of getting and consuming, still leaves you totally empty because you need more and more and more. And you never get a feeling of being fulfilled because you’re always afraid each day you are going to lose it. And if you remain the taker, you have little relatedness and no fusion with other people.

To counter, we as parents, educators, coaches or therapists must teach that the principled person is virtuous. You become a hero if you are noble; promising a new type of heroism by being a humble person.

People have to be taught there is satisfaction from giving. And if you get the adult satisfaction by giving, you are more contented and pay substantive attention to your well-being.

So make it a concerted effort that you want to join others, be respectful and don’t be excessive. For when you are on a level with other people by giving, being humble and living an ordinary life, then you are not alone and life is more satisfying.