Where are we going?
Published by Mysorean on Sunday, September 11, 2005 at 10:00:00 pm.
Kids play with whatever they want to. If you go back from office and pick up your kid and start playing. The first thing your kid (if he's 1 to 2 yr old) will do is put his/her hand in your pocket, and get that pen out. Then goes the mobile. Then a few important papers! [Those business cards you exchanged just before you left!] Then comes God! Yes! You can't believe it? You are so divine and holy that God was with you all this while.
The kid takes God out of your pocket. And starts crumpling God. Yes, once you see God you can do anything with him!
Instantly, you tell the kid, "No cutie pie, leave it. This is God. You shouldn't do such things with God". And as if on cue, you take [snatch] the ten ruppee note back from the kid carefully [so that you don't tear God!].
And, as the kid grows up, he is taught "Money is God". We keep reinforcing this throughout the kid's life.
Then, whenever a coin falls on the floor. What does the kid do? He picks it up [with his right hand that too], touches both his eyes with the coin and gives it back to the owner.
We are living in such a material world that money has become the be-all and end-all of our life. Our life revolves around money. We want to earn money. More money. And more money. And why?
How stupid I am! I ask why do you need money. Here we go:
"...kaiyil konjam kaasu irundhaal needhan adharku ejamaanan
kazhuththu varaikkum kaasu irundhaal adhudhaan unnakku ejamaanan..."
If you have money enough to take in your fist, then you are in control of the money.
But if the money is upto your neck, then it's the one in control.
[Song from Muthu - "Oruvan Oruvan Mudalali" - Tamil Language. You can listen to it here. Lyrics by Vairamuthu. Music by A R Rahman]
The lucky ones among us, have money enough for our fist. [And if you notice, the fist restricts the size that it can hold. It cannot hold infinite money.] But we want to get to the point where we have money till our necks. So, in the process, the lucky ones are trying to attain unhappiness.
How will one be happy if control of one's life is with the money that one has? When all of us are trying to attain unhappiness, then why do we crib about the lack of happiness in our lives? We have thrown it away with our own hands. Its upto us to find where it is.
All of us want to go to Mumbai. But we got down from the train going to Mumbai. Changed platforms. And ran to get into the train going to Calcutta. And now, that we are inside the train to Calcutta, we are cribbing that we are not going to get to Mumbai anyway. We need to get off the Calcutta train, and try to find out how to get to Mumbai. Simple.
Sounds simple? Try doing it. All the best!
The kid takes God out of your pocket. And starts crumpling God. Yes, once you see God you can do anything with him!
Instantly, you tell the kid, "No cutie pie, leave it. This is God. You shouldn't do such things with God". And as if on cue, you take [snatch] the ten ruppee note back from the kid carefully [so that you don't tear God!].
And, as the kid grows up, he is taught "Money is God". We keep reinforcing this throughout the kid's life.
Then, whenever a coin falls on the floor. What does the kid do? He picks it up [with his right hand that too], touches both his eyes with the coin and gives it back to the owner.
We are living in such a material world that money has become the be-all and end-all of our life. Our life revolves around money. We want to earn money. More money. And more money. And why?
How stupid I am! I ask why do you need money. Here we go:
- We need money to satisfy our needs. What are our needs? Two cars, three mobile phones, two TVs, one big refrigerator, one bigger refrigerator, one microwave, two computers, and the list goes on. These can be safely classified under wants. Wants are upgraded needs that are formed because of the society's influence. Wants are nowadays entering the are called "Greed". And greed can never be satisfied.
- We earn respect because of money. This according to me is the biggest fallacy of this society. We are given a status of middle-class, upper class or lower class based on how much of it you earn in one year! I feel like we are not living in a harmonious society but in a Train. [You know that second class, first AC, etc. etc.?!]
And this status is respect. You own a car & a house, oh wow! you are a big guy! That's respect! - Money brings me peace. I want to meet one person who earned peace on earning money. People go abroad to earn money. They leave their family members, go away, stay in as trying circumstances as possible, all this to earn money. And at the end of it all, what would we have gained? A few lost relationships because we never stayed in touch. We would have lost the beauty of life in the process. Continue living life like a machine. The output the machine will give is "money".
"...kaiyil konjam kaasu irundhaal needhan adharku ejamaanan
kazhuththu varaikkum kaasu irundhaal adhudhaan unnakku ejamaanan..."
If you have money enough to take in your fist, then you are in control of the money.
But if the money is upto your neck, then it's the one in control.
[Song from Muthu - "Oruvan Oruvan Mudalali" - Tamil Language. You can listen to it here. Lyrics by Vairamuthu. Music by A R Rahman]
The lucky ones among us, have money enough for our fist. [And if you notice, the fist restricts the size that it can hold. It cannot hold infinite money.] But we want to get to the point where we have money till our necks. So, in the process, the lucky ones are trying to attain unhappiness.
How will one be happy if control of one's life is with the money that one has? When all of us are trying to attain unhappiness, then why do we crib about the lack of happiness in our lives? We have thrown it away with our own hands. Its upto us to find where it is.
All of us want to go to Mumbai. But we got down from the train going to Mumbai. Changed platforms. And ran to get into the train going to Calcutta. And now, that we are inside the train to Calcutta, we are cribbing that we are not going to get to Mumbai anyway. We need to get off the Calcutta train, and try to find out how to get to Mumbai. Simple.
Sounds simple? Try doing it. All the best!
