I feel like some people get caught in thinking the other person or group might be tricking them in some way by being so giving too. Trust is sometimes hard to come by. I know there have been many times where I haven't felt worthy of the good things in my life, which is a sure way to eventually lose them.
I think part of being a good giver is knowing how to receive as well. Nice post as usual, we should all work on receiving, just being passive enough to receive without feeling obligated to give back is something I feel most of us struggle with. We need to realize we are all together, that accepting help is appropriate sometimes
Yeah, people have so many issues around receiving. Sometimes people really are dishonest, at least in their motives, but learning to discern that is part of our development. We can't cut ourselves off to the natural goodness in other people just because some people are manipulative. But it's a skill that takes time to develop. We have to not be too afraid to be wrong sometimes while we're learning. I would agree that to truly give long-term you do have to learn to receive, or you'll be pouring from an empty bucket. No one wants to be a compulsive giver because that's their identity now, but really they are resentful because they haven't learned to receive.
I've found that simply being more aware lets me catch when this is happening, then to not allow it in my perspective. Like if someone is trying to manipulate me I can see it and let them know through words and body language that that isn't how I work and if they don't like it I don't need them in my life. It's like demanding unconditional love. Like if you have conditions I am supposed to be filling you're going to find out that while I might fill them sometimes, it's not because you demand it of me.
So I think there are some subtleties to receiving, like not feeling roped into returning the favor, obviously sometimes we will, but I like to make sure it's in my own way and not because I feel obligated for some reason (conditioning)
Hopefully that was on topic, I know I kind of veered off with this comment