![]() ![]() That debt sets up a relationship between two people or two groups of people. The debt must be discharged at some point. ![]() For good social relationships, gifts and favors must be reciprocated. This cannot be dismissed as a “theory.” These are empirical observations that anthropologists have made that are true of every culture and a little reflection should reveal their reality in any circumstance. The truth is that violating any of these three obligations will only sow discord and cause problems between the disagreeable person and other people regardless of time or culture. Others may wish they could be recipients only and need never reciprocate. For instance, some people may only wish to give, being uncomfortable receiving gifts. They are also impervious to wishful thinking or a person’s private desires. These three things are filled with meaning. Lastly, is the obligation to reciprocate. There are three important constants concerning gifts. ![]() Successful businesses often combine gifts with the more prosaic monetary exchanges. He hoped to show that gift-giving precedes mere economic transactions in chronology and significance. Marcel Mauss’ The Gift is an anthropological study of gifts. Many features of gifts are immune from changes in cultural context and time. This is their ultimate meaning and significance. The effect of gifts is to tie people together to connect them. Every culture on Earth has and will always exchange gifts. ![]()
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