Make the Best Use of Your Money
Money has a lot of value in today's world. Money can buy anything. Money is everyone's need. It is neither possible to survive in the world without money, nor afford any conveniences. So, money creates a strong attraction for everyone. There is an interesting story that describes the state of the mind of people today, who are never happy with the wealth they have and are always striving to acquire more. This story is called 'Twirl of 99'.
Adjacent to the palatial house of a rich merchant lived the family of a poor labourer. The merchant was rich, but always lived with stress and worries, while the labourer was poor but lived a satisfied and merry life. Whatever money the labourer's family earned during the day was spent for a good dinner and enjoyment with friends in the evening. Observing this day by day, the merchant's wife talked to her husband once, "You have so much and yet you are so unhappy and worried all the time. And look at the labourer living next door, he has no money and no conveniences. Yet he lives a peaceful and contented life." The merchant replied, "This is only because he has not yet got into the 'Twirl of 99'. Let me do something." The merchant got a money bag, put exactly 99 coins in it and got it dropped at the door of the labourer in the night.
The labourer saw the bag in the morning and was taken by surprise. He counted the coins and found 99. He decided that from the money he would earn that day, he would save one coin and add to the bag to make them 100. So that day, he saved the coin he earned and did not spend it on merriment. Once he had 100 coins, he decided to save another 100 coins. The labourer, who earlier used to toil during the day and spend it all on his family on food and enjoyment, and then sleep happily in the night, began to think only about saving the money, and in this stress he grew weak and began to live a worried life. This was the 'Twirl of 99' that trapped the labourer, and in today's world most people can still be found entrapped in it.
If money is put to good use, many benefits can be derived from it, several resources and conveniences can be acquired through it and many needy people can be provided help. However, if money is simply hoarded, and not put to any use, it becomes a wasted resource. Money on its own, cannot satiate our hunger, nor quench our thirst. It cannot give us love and affection. It is simply a medium through which food and water can be purchased and basic needs of life can be fulfilled. But those who think that money can give them peace and fulfilment are grossly mistaken.
It is good to be rich, but it is equally important to have discretionary wisdom. Without it, wealth can never be put to any good use and this leads to destruction of wealth. Abnormal attraction towards money makes us helpless. It fills our mind with narrowness and in this state a person does not mind committing frauds and taking wrong actions. From the time selfish thinking has entered politics, religion and media, all these have got infested with immorality, anarchy and falsity. People work for money, covet top posts for money, and join religious orders for money.
After our country won independence, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel became Home Minister. But his daughter Maniben used to wear dhoti with a patch work. Looking at this, Mahavir Tyagi commented once, "You are the daughter of a great king, and yet you wear a torn dhoti with a patch?" At that time, Sardar Patel had united more than 500 princely states into India. His right decisions and firm resolves earned him the title of Iron Man of India. All his actions were devoted to betterment of his nation. Despite being the controlling authority of so many erstwhile princely states, he lived a very simple life. His daughter spun yarn and weaved clothes herself. Maniben would wear older dhotis of her father as a saree and would cut his kurtas to make a blouse for herself. On hearing the sarcastic comment by Mahavir Tyagi, Sardar Patel replied, "Maniben is not the daughter of a Great King, she is the daughter of a poor farmer," and he felt great pride in saying so. Political leaders knew the value of freedom they had earned and so they used to fulfil all their duties with diligence.
How money is spent completely depends on how it is earned. When money earned with honesty and industriousness is spent, it makes people honest and hardworking and instils in them ennobling cultural and moral values. In the same way, money earned through dishonesty makes people more dishonest, corrupt and destroys moral values.
Scriptures say that there are three outcomes of acquired wealth — it gets donated, it gets utilized, or it gets destroyed. A person who only stores wealth and does not wisely utilize or donate for a noble cause, his wealth gets destroyed. So we need to take care of the following about our money: we must earn it through hard-work and honesty; we must store some for the future, but never in excess amount; it must be put to good use in the present; it should be utilized where it is needed; it should not be squandered in unnecessary expenses; and we must not have excessive attachment to it. If we can develop such a healthy attitude towards money, its benefits will be visible not only at individual level, but at social and national levels too.
"I hate race discrimination most intensely and in all its manifestations. I have fought it all during my life; I fight it now, and will do so until the end of my days." — Nelson Mandela
"The greatest glory in living lies not in ever falling, but in rising every time we fall." — Nelson Mandela
"Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again." — Nelson Mandela