Yesterday I had a debate with a friend on some philosophical message that he shared with me. The message was on the Pope, which mentioned that he died leaving behind a 100$ an about his simple life style. The simple life style had all my respects, but the money part I have a different opinion. I have a huge respect for Pope for the kind of life he lived. But to be very fair, he could afford to not have money and still live comfortably even if it was a minimalist and simple living because all his needs were take care of because of his position. Even without money he would get everything, else imagine if some one had just 100$ with them, will they be able to even have a very simple meal twice a day and for how long, will that person be ever able to manage the very basic maintenance of the most simple living in 100$ and what if that person would get sick, will that 100$ be sufficient. So making example out of his life is not very realistic. He lived a very different dimension then most of us are living in.
These messages may sound very profound but are they realistic for common people like us? Absolutely not. Because of his position he never needed anything because everything was available to him, and yes every person in such positions will be able to live that type of life, but the truth is that they are a handful. These are not realistic examples for common people. With only 100$ one's life will be miserable.
Even spirituality comes at a cost of money. A laborer who can barely earn 2 times of meal and who is always struggling will not be able to think spiritually, because he is all the time fighting for his basic survival needs. Whereas a person who is content with basics in life will be able to have spiritual thoughts, because the person is content. How can a person who cannot get a proper meal for days together ever feel content. That person will always feel miserable for life.
So against all of this my friend says that, there is a saying that "whatever money that is left in your bank at time of your death is wasted effort". Again something that I do not agree. Do we know when we are going to die and what future is going to bring for us? So are we not suppose to have money contingency? We cannot anticipate death and spend every single penny before we die. And if we do not die by that timeline then what, do we go begging, because at the age of 70 and 80 getting a job is not easy. There are some countries, where the government will take care of their senior citizens, but that does not happen in India.
In India if you do not having savings for your old age then you will end up in the most miserable state. Probably your children will also not take good care of you or they may even abandon you in a old age home, or you may end up begging.
All these philosophical messages are good to hear, but how much are they practical? They must be written by people who have never had to fight for survival and that's where they feel everything is good. I do not feel that having more money or even desiring for money is wrong in any way. What matters is how you earn that money. If it's good clean money then why not enjoy life with it and live to the fullest. My God has never asked me to live in misery. We are born to experience life in it's full spectrum, live in a joyful state. What matters most is the awareness that we have to live the life. I always believe that God has given capacity to some people to earn more money, so if I have more money then I can help more to those who do not have this privilege or capacity.
What are your thoughts on this?
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