The wealthy are not happy and can never be so as wealth is the root cause of their unhappiness. In fact it is a universal truth that a healthy man lives a much more happy and content life than a man blessed with wealth. We are all aware of an old adage “health is wealth”. Thus we see that there are many things besides wealth, which can enrich us and help us lead a full and wholesome life.
The importance of earning money cannot be disputed in the present social environment. One just cannot visualize living a decent life without it. It would be a folly however if one attaches undue importance to money for as we all know man-made money and not vice versa. Money is one of the many components in a man’s life which can give him limited happiness.
Wealth is the root cause of his unhappiness. Some people are unhappy throughout their lives, in the pursuit of creating wealth, while the wealthy are unhappy in safeguarding their wealth. They spend sleepless nights worrying about it, for they are the target of the government for evasion of income tax and antisocial elements who have an eye on their ill-gotten wealth. The threat is not only from external sources but also sometimes it is also from within the family leading to estranged family relations, legal disputes and unhappiness.
The really happy people were those who had contributed to the society like mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi and William Shakespeare to name a few. None of them were wealthy during their lifetime but their invaluable contribution in the field of social welfare and literature will continue to inspire generations. Just as one should eat to live and not live to eat similarly earning wealth should not be the ultimate of all human endeavor. We must realize that we are fortunate in being the crown of creation. It should be our endeavor to leave our imprint in the society in which we live. This can be done by cherishing high ideals, values and a desire to contribute to the welfare of mankind which can make our lives more richer, satisfying, complete and happy. “Superfluity comes sooner by white hair while competency lives longerâ€, said William Shakespeare in his play “Merchant of Veniceâ€. Wealthy men indeed age faster with worry while healthy competent men live longer. We must therefore have enough wealth to enable us to lead a respectable life. Thereafter, in order to be happy we should work for noble and social causes so that we could “leave our footprints in the sands of timeâ€.
