I consider myself a giver, even though I don't give as much as I probably want to. Granted, it isn't always in quantity but in cost, and sometimes it can be quite painful. There is hidden beauty to giving and generiosity but there are also lots of lessons for precaution. I've learned the hard way that wisdom must be applied even in generiosity. Giving from the heart doesn't mean a complete disregard of every other instinct and intuition.
I recently found myself in a precarious position because I was trying to help someone else out. It remains a proud moment for me to have navigated my way out, but at the time it was a serious, rather unprecedented challenge that needed to be addressed. It taught me that helping out in troubled times shouldn't mean that we throw caution into the wind.
Of course there are some wild extremes to the philosophy of money and spending. Yet for most of us we're appreciative of what balance brings, while acknowledging that we're sometimes slaves to impulses. Such impulses always lead us to more extreme behaviours. Where it starts to become an issue is when we simply have no control over them, and they start to significantly affect our bottom line. As an adult impulse control is one of the best things we can do for ourselves, and when it comes to finances there are simply no alternatives for the average income earner.
It will always be better to give than to receive. Yet at the same time, we can be givers that shoulder the responsibilities of our own burdens. We learn that saving ourselves actually makes us that more likely to aid others.