I was reading a book by Orison Swett Marden wherein he had argued that we can enjoy what others own without our necessarily wanting to own them.Taj Mahal is a beautiful piece of art that we enjoy without wanting to possess them. The roses in the Mughal garden are no less enchanting even If they belonged to the President’s estate. A diamond necklace on a beautiful woman’s neck was admired at by an ordinary woman placed in not so fortunate circumstances and when she expressed her thankfulness, the rich woman wondered why the thanks when she had done nothing to the poor woman. The latter replied the thanks was for letting her see the exquisite necklace which she herself could not see and which she had to carefully protect and preserve for others to see on her neck. The quote .”I would rather be able to appreciate things I cannot have than to have things I am not able to appreciate” summarizes the message.
One need not be wealthy to derive pleasure out of things not belonging to them. The quality to derive joy from all sorts of sources is a rare gift and is not a function of wealth..It is only when you aspire to own them or feel jealous of others owning them, you miss the see the beauty and fail to enjoy in full measure. As Rev Dr.Charles F.Aked. put it “If you are not wealthy yourself, be glad that somebody else is, and you will be astonished at the happiness that will result to yourself.”We must cultivate the the habit of feeling rich and happy at the wealth, beauty and good experiences of others even though we are modest in our circumstances. Let us learn to rejoice at all good things around us without wanting to possess them ourselves.
One need not be wealthy to derive pleasure out of things not belonging to them. The quality to derive joy from all sorts of sources is a rare gift and is not a function of wealth..It is only when you aspire to own them or feel jealous of others owning them, you miss the see the beauty and fail to enjoy in full measure. As Rev Dr.Charles F.Aked. put it “If you are not wealthy yourself, be glad that somebody else is, and you will be astonished at the happiness that will result to yourself.”We must cultivate the the habit of feeling rich and happy at the wealth, beauty and good experiences of others even though we are modest in our circumstances. Let us learn to rejoice at all good things around us without wanting to possess them ourselves.
Sir Osho says there is a difference between rich and wealth...a beggar can be rich, if he can enjoy a beautiful sunset, appreciate a pleasant song...that's richness. Then, the beggar is really a rich man.
ReplyDeleteWhereas Ambanis or tatas, we all know they are wealthy but are they rich? it's a BIG question mark? They may be even poorer than us :)
I don't know why but reading your post made me to share these thoughts :)
happy blogging!
An extremely thought-provoking post. Thank you, Parthasarathi.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, we own nothing. God owns everything, and in His grace He shares with us His possessions.
So, if we are able to be grateful for what He is sharing with us, and are also able to admire without envy what He is sharing with others, we are worshipping Him.
In having and in not having if we see God, we are truly happy, regardless of the circumstances in our lives.
"Vaasudeva sarvam iti."
An extremely thought-provoking post. Thank you, Parthasarathi.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, we own nothing. God owns everything, and in His grace He shares with us His possessions.
So, if we are able to be grateful for what He is sharing with us, and are also able to admire without envy what He is sharing with others, we are worshipping Him.
In having and in not having if we see God, we are truly happy, regardless of the circumstances in our lives.
"Vaasudeva sarvam iti."
Its a beautiful message Sir, if we come to think about it, such an act would also make us get rid of the jealousies and insecurities that we nurture in our hearts when we see someone in a better condition. If we start appreciating the things around us, we would becomes richer and stronger in our values, something that is the most exquisite treasure of our lives,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the beautiful thought:)!
This post makes me think in a different angle. I like your perspective.
ReplyDeleteThis post is a very different and has a thought provoking subject.. my mind tried to argue that I will want to possess most of what i enjoy.. but then the post had a message that is a stepping stone leading to happiness.. and it was very meaningful.. i loved the uniqueness of the subject and the message the post gives..
ReplyDelete