money is given lot of importance in life. because it can really make your life easier. it definitely has the capability to give you material comforts like good house, car, luxury and so on.
but still you will hear few people saying that money is not everything in life. i personally don’t agree entirely with this statement as i feel money is very much needed in the life of a householder. money is needed to survive in this world, unless you are a different type of person or you don’t want to live a worldly life.
ask any poor person the importance of money. for a poor person money is everything. the value of money varies from person to person.
we should never disrespect money (laxmi ma). if you have extra money then you can always spend money for the welfare of poor people. your money can help many people by doing charitable work. e.g. you can open schools, colleges, hospitals, dispensary etc with it.
have a balance in life. don’t give too much importance to money in life and at the same time don’t ignore or ridicule money if you plan to live a worldly life.
when money is not everything in life:
1. you are a rich person but lacking inner peace – then it is very obvious to think that money is not everything. because money is not able to bring satisfaction and contentment in your life. if such a person say that making money is one part of your life but not everything then i would say he is speaking from experience and i will agree with him. we often give lot more importance to money than it deserve in life. make money but don’t neglect the other aspects of life like family, friendship, inner growth and your life. don’t compromise with your value system to make money. never cheat or exploit people to make money. because that money will always bring a feeling of guilt and shame in you.
2. you want to grow spiritually – to make money you have to pay attention to the worldly ways (outward direction). whereas to grow spiritually you have to grow inwardly (inner direction). both the ways/directions are opposite. as you grow spiritually then less is more for you. you have a detached attitude towards life. you have already renounce many things which money can buy for you. so the value of money has reduced much in your vision.
3. you are a creative person – you give more importance to creativity and your passion than to be efficient in your job or to make money. creativity gives you a sense of inner fulfillment and peace. so you don’t have the emptiness inside you, which most people try to fill with money, fame or power.
4. you are not looking to live a life of comfort – for various reasons you would like to live a simple life. as they say it “simple living and high thinking”.
5. you give more importance to earning money with ethics and right conduct. this include you like to choose a job which pays little less but is of your liking. that way you get the chance to enjoy your work.
6. you like to share your extra income with less privileged people – it is one of the most noble act to share your abundance with poor people. many religious guru have said that donate 10% of your income on charity.
according to me, if you don’t fall in any of the above 6 categories then think carefully about making money. because you might need it in life. make enough money to take care of your basic needs. i am not advocating that you become super rich. make money to meet your needs. but at the same time don’t ignore yourself and your loved ones in the race to make money.