Everyone knows about the widespread corruption and injustice prevalent in today’s society. Many of us are enslaved to the illusion that wealth and position are the greatest things in life and if we have those, we will have happiness and peace. But they are transient by nature. In addition, anything gained through unrighteous means will not endure. Peace and wealth that is attained dishonestly can never exist side by side.
We can definitely accomplish many things with wealth. But there are certain things that cannot be achieved. Wealth can help us build a beautiful house. But it can never build an atmosphere of unity, love and happiness. Similarly, wealth will attract many friends. But it will not be able to earn us a single sincere friend. Wealth can provide us with lavish air-conditioned bedrooms. But it cannot provide peaceful sleep. Wealth can buy us tasty meals, but it cannot buy us health. Wealth can equip us with armed bodyguards, but it can neither give us a single moment free of fear nor can it extend our lifespan.
Once, in a village, there lived an umbrella-maker. He did his work with joy, chanting the divine names and discussing spiritual topics with customers, content with what he earned. Everyone who came in contact with this cheerful man liked him and he began to earn enough to live a modest life.
One day, the local landlord bought an umbrella from his shop. The landlord was pleased with the umbrella-maker’s demeanour, the reasonable prices and the quality of his product. As a reward, he gave the umbrella-maker 99 gold coins. As soon as he received this money, the umbrella-maker’s behaviour began to change. His mind no longer remained on his work. “How can I keep my gold coins safe? Will it be safe at home? Will thieves break in and steal them?”—this became his primary concern. He became distrustful of his wife and children. He began to labour hard and save every paisa to earn enough to pay for one more gold coin to make the number a full 100.
As his desire and selfishness grew, so did his unhappiness and restlessness. He vented his impatience and anger on the people who came to his shop. His customers dwindled and his profits fell. He had to sell his gold coins one by one to make ends meet. Eventually, when they were all gone, he had only discontentment in the end.
This does not mean that being wealthy is a sin, but we have to learn to differentiate between needs and luxuries. Earn to live; don’t live to earn. Similarly, when we go in search of comfort and conveniences, we should not forget the overwhelming majority of people who do not have anything. The contentment we earn in helping them even a little is very big. Wealth is like fire—it can be used for both creation as well as destruction.
The writer is a world-renowned spiritual leader