People are somewhere on the spectrum of givers to takers. This post will refer to people in the middle of the spectrum, since those outliers on the extreme are unhealthy in both directions.
Personally, I advocate that the healthier approach to the world is being a giver. The reason for this is that a taker is dependent upon other people.
Now, as we know, we are all dependent upon other people, that is just how the world is. You do things I can’t do, and I do things you can’t do. We just are all in this world together, and none of us can do it ourselves. That’s how the world works.
However, a taker, has a NEED for other people to give to them to make their way through life. If people don’t give them their needs, they can’t survive. So they are intrinsically dependent on others. With self-sufficiency being the goal of the individual as much as possible (my assumption), this is an unhealthy state for a person to be in.
On the other hand, a giver on the opposite, but similar place on the spectrum might have the same need, but isn’t really dependent on another person since if they can’t give, well they can’t give, too bad.
Put another way, when the taker is missing taking they have a hole that needs to be filled, but when the giver is missing giving, there is no hole really missing, if that makes sense.
So learn how to be a giver, and in doing so you will make yourself happier in life.
The giver also has a need to give and may, in fact, become dependent of someone else to fulfill that need. Why not be a giver and a taker? It’s all about finding a balance.