RE: EcoTrain Question of the Week: "What is the greatest gift you have ever given or received?" By icmultitudes
Thank you for taking this approach to the question! If I may offer my opinion. I think what you may have highlighted here was not necessarily 'gifts' but failed 'gift economics' with expectations. I don't think our dominant culture recognizes much of a difference and tends to lump them together. I believe this is why your experience with gifts have been mostly painful (as have my experiences with gift economics, I tend to not participate in them anymore). I loath the expectation of gift economics, it's a zero sum or negative sum game (as you were able to highlight). However, as they say; don't throw the baby out with the bath-water. Gifts can and are often detached from the expectations of gift economics and these gifts are full of beauty and love :)
Yes, and I have been on both giving and receiving ends of those.
The material gifts get all wrapped up in consumerism and ownership of things we don't really need. But sometimes the symbolism of a physical item can be what makes a loving gift so special.
So, the symbolism is what is special :) I don't think physical items are necessarily problematic. In fact, if imbued with love they are absolutely gorgeous and wonderful gifts to receive :)