We all belong to some sort of gift economy, even though must of us do not look at it that way. To better inform you of what a “gift” is I will resort to Kollacks definition “What is a gift? To define a gift as (1) the obligatory transfer, (2) of inalienable objects or services, (3) between related and mutually obligated transactors. In other more simplified words, a gift is “something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation” (Reference)
What EXACTLY is a gift?
Many people may think the idea of a gift is “give to receive” but really in contrast it is “Gift exchanges should not involve explicit bargaining or demands that the gift be reciprocated, but a relationship in which there is only giving and no receiving is unlikely to last. The contrast to a gift exchange is a commodity transaction, in which no obligation exists after the exchange is consummated – the bottle of water purchased at a convenience store does not create an obligation to buy something there again” as stated by Kollack.
Now on to gift economies. Wikipedia describes it as “A gift economy is an economic system in which goods and services are given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future quid pro quo. Typically, a gift economy occurs in a culture or subculture that emphasizes social or intangible rewards for generosity: karma, honor, loyalty or other forms of gratitude. In some cases, simultaneous or recurring giving serves to circulate and redistribute valuables within a community. This can be considered a form of reciprocal altruism. Sometimes there is an implicit expectation of the return of comparable goods or services, political support, or the gift being later passed on to a third party. However, in what is considered to be in the true spirit of gift economics, many times giving is done without any expectation of reciprocity”
My Gift Economy!
The gift economy I consider to be the most important in which I belong is my family. Most people won’t think of a family as a gift but in reality it really is. Parents have children in order to provide or gift love and other tangible items to them. You have heard the saying “love is unconditional” right? That’s because it is. Parents will love you no matter what, even when you get angry and say you don’t love them (which usually isn’t true anyways). Same goes for Aunts, Uncles, siblings, nieces and nephews. My niece is a prime example. She means everything to me, and I will just keep on giving love and other items to her just because I love her. I don’t expect anything in return from a 5 year old.
In my family, I feel exceptionally gifted because my parents have paid for my education throughout my entire life as well as bought be a car, and many many other things. My parents, like most, don’t expect you to give them anything in return for the things they do for their children. They do it because they love them.
2 comments:
How cute is your blog! I definitely agree that "family" is a gift economy. You get so much support and unconditional love from them, and they never expect anything in return. Beautiful blog! :)
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