How much is too much?

I was a boy of Twelve when this incident happened. I was visiting my maternal grandparents during my summer vacation. After my lunch I went upstairs to get some air. It was an open terrace with just an overhead water tank. There was a crow sitting on it. I felt the urge (don't know why!) to feed it. After some deliberation, I finally decided to feed it with puffed rice. I ran down brought a fistful and threw towards it. The Crow initially hesitated and then started eating its food. Once in a while it cawed. To my amusement in a couple of minutes, terrace was filled with Crows. By the sound of their cawing, I guessed that they were to trying to convey, "Could you feed us as well?" I felt it was my responsibility to feed them as well. I made several trips running downstairs and upstairs and managed to finish entire puffed rice packet. To my surprise, the number of Crows seemed to increase every time I came up and there seemed to be no end to their hunger.

My Grandfather was observing all this and asked me gently, what I was up to? When I mentioned my futile effort to feed the birds, he smiled and said, "When you're trying to offer help, first assess your limits and ensure that you've some energy left for yourself and your dependents, so that, you are in a position to offer help again. You have finished all the puffed rice at home, leaving it neither for my family (which of course includes you) nor you could satisfy all the crows." He further added, "I agree that it is our responsibility to feed animals around us and help others around us but you have equal responsibility towards your family to ensure their basic needs are met."

Now that learning stayed with me till date and will forever. The other day, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine, we were discussing how certain people act selflessly and through their acts of generosity have boosted the spirit of humanity. He then mentioned that, a particular gentleman, a very rich person donated everything of his, his ancestral property and now his heirs are living in extreme poverty. There were also instances were couple of my friends mentioned that, their great / grandfathers had donated all their lands to either government / others and now because of which, they have to run everywhere to make ends meet. I have always vehemently objected to all such activities, supposedly noble causes but ludicrous according to me. The answer which I almost always got was when you do good you'll go to heaven. This is beyond any person's common sense. Even if I were wrong, a heaven does exist and all such noble men go there, how can one enjoy in heaven when all his near and dear are rotting in hell (read as poverty)? And how can God open his/her/its gates to those who failed to fulfill their responsibility?

There were a couple of arguments, saying how we were taught in childhood that, a guest is equal to god, you have to feed him well, even if you have to forgo your food. Now, what they din't teach us is, how long should we entertain such guests. If its for a night its fine. You can. What if its for a week? Will you have any energy left to earn your bread? Question that to yourself. There could be a million quotes saying, you're the power, hero, driver of your destiny etc., Truth be told, very frankly, all of us aren't heroes (could be heroes for someone) we win, we lose, our lives are still largely dependent on various external factors (unless you're Henry David Thoreau :) )

Thinking rationally, its better to invest and create opportunities to uplift people from poverty, and living a modest life than donating everything for charity, thus, starving your family and yourself. If the urge to donate still doesn't die - Keep calm and remember, Charity begins at home!