Money Money Money!
There is no other thing that occupies so much space in our Life.
In fact from the childhood to adulthood itself, we learn the importance of money everyday.
By the time we grow up, we think money as the most important purpose of life. We think Money will buy be Joy, peace, security, power, respect, Health even friends and family. That is why in most of our calculations money is the most deciding factor.
We tend to make mostly that choice which maximizes money in short, medium or long term, if the choice is approved by society, peer groups, law etc.
This is the "Maxima and Minima" of money in making choices. These choices start from which school we attend, what studies we take, what carreer we take, what job we take, whose friendship or social circle we aspire for, sometimes, whom we marry, who is friend and who is enemy et cetera et cetera.
In short it is the money that makes most of our choices and it is the money that runs our lives.
There is a fable of a wood cutter who lived in his small hut near a forest. He earned just enough to maintain his family. He was poor but did not complain and took life as it came.
One day, in the forest, as he selected a large and very old tree and lifted his axe to make his first hit, a 'Yaksha' appeared. The yaksha requested to the wood cutter to spare the tree, which was his home. The wood cutter replied that he had to fell this tree to buy food for his family. Then the Yaksha promised to give him a horde of Gold, of seven Urns. When the wood cutter returned home he was euphoric to find the seven urns full of Gold. One moment, one of the urns was only half full. The half urn disappointed him a bit, but not much. He spent the day in euphoria, but in the night as his excitement kept him awake, a thought crept into his mind. "If the seventh urn was also full, won't that be fabulous. Won't that make me the richest as well as the happiest." By the time he left his bed in the morning his mind was made. He would fill the seventh urn also. Buy working just a bit more and spending a bit less he planned to accomplish it. It was a matter of 2-3 months he thought.
He started going to forest half an early and returning half an hour later. It was exhausting, but just a few more days. He kept his spirit up for a few weeks, till he realized that level of gold had not increased much. "Ok!" he thought, " A bit of economizing and a bit more slogging is needed." He further increased his hours and rationed his food. It went on for a couple of months. He had to gradually increase his log again and again. He was still not getting any where. The magical urn was still not full.
One day as he bent down on a stream to drink water, he was shocked to see his own reflection. He saw himself aged, frail and sad. He was way off worse than he was before he found the urns. There was sadness and quarrel in the family too. It dawned on him that the chase of gold had destroyed his life altogether. He went back to the Yaksha who agreed to take his 'Boon' back.
His old life was back. Now he had less, only, he was enjoying it more.
Money is neither everything nor is money nothing. Money, as we should recall, is just a mode of exchange for goods that we need or want such as food money, clothes, comfort etc. Without its value as exchange, a kilogram of Dollars has the same value as a kilograms of old newspapers.
In transaction money can become everything available in the market, yet without transaction money is nothing. So, if I am working day or night for an huge amount of money, which is way beyond my needs and requirements, which would remain un-exchanged at the end, perhaps I am making a Big mistake!
If Life is like a home than Money is the fuel that keeps the appliances of the home running. No fuel, no electricity, no appliance, no food or clean cloths or hot or cold air, or entertainment. Therefore money is absolutely essential to keep the home from coming to a standstill.
On the other hand, how much fuel you actually are going to need. You need the fuel to run the house lifelong, you need a bit more for contingencies also, yet can you afford to spend all your capital (time in this case) into fuel for the generator and have nothing left to buy any appliance or actual needs like food or cloths etc.
Also would like to convert all your capital into fuel only. Would you like to keep a million gallons in your storage and worrying about its safety and security or whether it would evaporate and therefore keep continuous adding up.
Just like for a household a million gallons are not a requirement but a burden, same is a billion rupee bank balance. Which car needs a thousand liter petrol tank in a car. The car will be constantly burning fuel, only to carry the excess fuel.
We need money to maintain life, yet why spend the life earning and accumulating money, till you have no life left to maintain, only money left.
It is better to have money for a decent life, a bit more for contingencies and then divert the time we have to ourselves, our own health, our own family, our own friends, our own comfort, our own peace and happiness.
Maintain your liquidity. Like a hill station, In life also, The journey is meant to be much much more enjoyable than the destination.
The Time is the actual asset in our life, which depletes constantly and is irreplaceable even for the King of the earth. We earn money only by giving our time. Time is the youth, time is the age, time is the seconds, minutes and hours that add up to our life.
Family is the tree that should be nurtured with time and money.
Health is the actual property which should be cared for and protected with time and money. We learn this very late and then we have to we spend all the money we have accumulated to purchase health, the same money for which we earlier spent all our time and health.
We spend our millions in old age, just to give our aged and frail bodies a few more days to live, while when we had youth, we spent all of it and countless days to accumulate money.
Ask a man on a death bed, does his money give him health, life, time or happiness. No, it only gave him worries. Who will capture and waste my money, which I accumulated through my lifetime of misery, suffering and effort. I suffered and they will enjoy. Oh my money!
So Health for Money, and then Money for Health, funny ain't it!
So friends, earn money and save money, but save time also, time is the actual treasure. Spend your days wisely, to enjoy, to love and to be loved, to be at peace and to be happy. To care and to be cared. For self, family and friends. Live and Love your life. Enjoy today, it wont come back. See the sunset and sunrise, the rainbow, the chirping of birds and the flowers. The laughter of the child and the smile of the life partner and love of the parents.
Don't Save money and spend Life. Save Life and spend Money instead. Enjoy
There is no other thing that occupies so much space in our Life.
In fact from the childhood to adulthood itself, we learn the importance of money everyday.
By the time we grow up, we think money as the most important purpose of life. We think Money will buy be Joy, peace, security, power, respect, Health even friends and family. That is why in most of our calculations money is the most deciding factor.
We tend to make mostly that choice which maximizes money in short, medium or long term, if the choice is approved by society, peer groups, law etc.
This is the "Maxima and Minima" of money in making choices. These choices start from which school we attend, what studies we take, what carreer we take, what job we take, whose friendship or social circle we aspire for, sometimes, whom we marry, who is friend and who is enemy et cetera et cetera.
In short it is the money that makes most of our choices and it is the money that runs our lives.
There is a fable of a wood cutter who lived in his small hut near a forest. He earned just enough to maintain his family. He was poor but did not complain and took life as it came.
One day, in the forest, as he selected a large and very old tree and lifted his axe to make his first hit, a 'Yaksha' appeared. The yaksha requested to the wood cutter to spare the tree, which was his home. The wood cutter replied that he had to fell this tree to buy food for his family. Then the Yaksha promised to give him a horde of Gold, of seven Urns. When the wood cutter returned home he was euphoric to find the seven urns full of Gold. One moment, one of the urns was only half full. The half urn disappointed him a bit, but not much. He spent the day in euphoria, but in the night as his excitement kept him awake, a thought crept into his mind. "If the seventh urn was also full, won't that be fabulous. Won't that make me the richest as well as the happiest." By the time he left his bed in the morning his mind was made. He would fill the seventh urn also. Buy working just a bit more and spending a bit less he planned to accomplish it. It was a matter of 2-3 months he thought.
He started going to forest half an early and returning half an hour later. It was exhausting, but just a few more days. He kept his spirit up for a few weeks, till he realized that level of gold had not increased much. "Ok!" he thought, " A bit of economizing and a bit more slogging is needed." He further increased his hours and rationed his food. It went on for a couple of months. He had to gradually increase his log again and again. He was still not getting any where. The magical urn was still not full.
One day as he bent down on a stream to drink water, he was shocked to see his own reflection. He saw himself aged, frail and sad. He was way off worse than he was before he found the urns. There was sadness and quarrel in the family too. It dawned on him that the chase of gold had destroyed his life altogether. He went back to the Yaksha who agreed to take his 'Boon' back.
His old life was back. Now he had less, only, he was enjoying it more.
Money is neither everything nor is money nothing. Money, as we should recall, is just a mode of exchange for goods that we need or want such as food money, clothes, comfort etc. Without its value as exchange, a kilogram of Dollars has the same value as a kilograms of old newspapers.
In transaction money can become everything available in the market, yet without transaction money is nothing. So, if I am working day or night for an huge amount of money, which is way beyond my needs and requirements, which would remain un-exchanged at the end, perhaps I am making a Big mistake!
If Life is like a home than Money is the fuel that keeps the appliances of the home running. No fuel, no electricity, no appliance, no food or clean cloths or hot or cold air, or entertainment. Therefore money is absolutely essential to keep the home from coming to a standstill.
On the other hand, how much fuel you actually are going to need. You need the fuel to run the house lifelong, you need a bit more for contingencies also, yet can you afford to spend all your capital (time in this case) into fuel for the generator and have nothing left to buy any appliance or actual needs like food or cloths etc.
Also would like to convert all your capital into fuel only. Would you like to keep a million gallons in your storage and worrying about its safety and security or whether it would evaporate and therefore keep continuous adding up.
Just like for a household a million gallons are not a requirement but a burden, same is a billion rupee bank balance. Which car needs a thousand liter petrol tank in a car. The car will be constantly burning fuel, only to carry the excess fuel.
We need money to maintain life, yet why spend the life earning and accumulating money, till you have no life left to maintain, only money left.
It is better to have money for a decent life, a bit more for contingencies and then divert the time we have to ourselves, our own health, our own family, our own friends, our own comfort, our own peace and happiness.
Maintain your liquidity. Like a hill station, In life also, The journey is meant to be much much more enjoyable than the destination.
The Time is the actual asset in our life, which depletes constantly and is irreplaceable even for the King of the earth. We earn money only by giving our time. Time is the youth, time is the age, time is the seconds, minutes and hours that add up to our life.
Family is the tree that should be nurtured with time and money.
Health is the actual property which should be cared for and protected with time and money. We learn this very late and then we have to we spend all the money we have accumulated to purchase health, the same money for which we earlier spent all our time and health.
We spend our millions in old age, just to give our aged and frail bodies a few more days to live, while when we had youth, we spent all of it and countless days to accumulate money.
Ask a man on a death bed, does his money give him health, life, time or happiness. No, it only gave him worries. Who will capture and waste my money, which I accumulated through my lifetime of misery, suffering and effort. I suffered and they will enjoy. Oh my money!
So Health for Money, and then Money for Health, funny ain't it!
So friends, earn money and save money, but save time also, time is the actual treasure. Spend your days wisely, to enjoy, to love and to be loved, to be at peace and to be happy. To care and to be cared. For self, family and friends. Live and Love your life. Enjoy today, it wont come back. See the sunset and sunrise, the rainbow, the chirping of birds and the flowers. The laughter of the child and the smile of the life partner and love of the parents.
Don't Save money and spend Life. Save Life and spend Money instead. Enjoy
As usual the coverage of this topic is very in depth with all ingredients of simplicity, practicality and spice of spiritualism. Your writing reminds me of lost heritage of नीति शास्त्र भर्तृहरि शतक, चारूचार्य and so on that I have only heard or glimpsed. The spirituality not existing in some esoteric Highland in search of some illusive Niravan but right here right now for everyday life.
ReplyDeleteDo keep them coming