Articles by
Dr. Anthony F. Cicone
Of Tennis Racquets and
Barbecue Sauce
by Dr. Anthony
F. Cicone, CFS 9/1/2003
I recently heard a man who
once ran for President say that many people think the
way to achieve wealth is through borrowing money,
whereas he believes the way to achieve wealth is through
giving away money. Obviously, many would consider his
point of view to be a high level of foolishness. Others
would consider it profound wisdom.
There are many things in life that are the opposite of
what we suppose. For example, I played tennis for many
years and could never hit a backhand properly. I would
marvel at the ability of my opponents to hit backhands.
Then, one day, I decided to take tennis lessons. The
instructor informed me to turn the racquet in my hand at
an angle that felt extraordinarily uncomfortable. It
felt as though I would hit the ball with the edge of my
racquet. However, when I followed her instruction, I was
pleased to discover that I was able to hit the ball
solidly and with topspin. What at first clearly felt
like the wrong way to do something, was actually the
right way.
This is true in much of sports. Consider the golf
stroke, swimming, and the jump shot in basketball, or
throwing a football or a baseball or kicking a soccer
ball. To do these activities the right way means doing
them in a way that feels like the wrong way at first.
Actually, this is true of life in general. There are
ways that may seem right to a person, but that way will
take you to a place you don’t want to be.
It has always seemed right to me that if I wanted to get
barbecue sauce to come out of the bottle, I should
strike the bottom of the bottle. I have learned that
this procedure takes me to a place I don’t want to be .
. . a place of sore palms and no barbecue sauce. After I
stop for a second and think, I begin to hit the bottle
on the side and in the opposite direction from which I
want the barbecue sauce to flow. This effort produces
barbecue sauce in abundance because it is consistent
with a basic law of physics that says for every action
there is an equal and opposite reaction. Again, many
things in life are the opposite of what we suppose;
backhands in tennis and flowing barbecue sauce are only
two examples.
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Just as laws of physics govern the physical world,
certain laws govern the unseen world. Most of us are
confident with the truth of certain laws of physics,
which we associate with scientists such as Newton. But
before the turn of the 20th century, certain deviations
were found in Newtonian physics, which, although slight,
were of such a fundamental nature that the whole of his
thought began to topple. Then in the early part of the
20th century when physicists had come to distrust their
faith in a smoothly functioning Newtonian mechanical
universe, Einstein articulated his theory of relativity,
dealing with space, time, and the structure of the
universe as a whole. Although most of us have childlike
faith in science, even a hard science such as physics is
comprised of theories that are shown to be deficient
with the passing of time.
One far wiser than Newton or Einstein, in speaking not
of the physical universe but of the spiritual universe,
once articulated a great truth that has never been
proven wrong. He said, “Give, and it will be given to
you.” To amplify further the power of that simple
statement, He went on to say that what a person gives
would be given back, “good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, and running over.”
Just the other day, the stock market responded to new
figures relevant to the rising level of unemployment. A
couple of weeks ago, I read in Investors Business Daily
of three quarters of profound percentage increases in
residential foreclosures. What would happen if those
suffering the loss of a job or the loss of their home
were to increase their giving and give even more of
their time, resources, work, love, and money to those in
greater need? What would happen if those who are
suffering financial loss and those who are prospering
would give to those who could never pay them back, and
would give for the right reason and with a humble heart
and without seeking any acknowledgement of their giving?
My understanding is that kind of giving is in a certain
sense the greatest of all investments, for not only will
your return be great, but it will be pressed down and
running over and it will have eternal significance.
Is the road to prosperity in giving (with the right
heart motivation) and not in borrowing? You decide. I
can assure you of one thing: many people who seek
financing of one form or another simply do not qualify
for the financing they seek, whereas we all qualify to
give to those in greater need than ourselves.
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