True Wealth

Reaffirming what we already know

Our society seems to be intensely focused on material wealth, especially now that the contrast between extreme poverty and extreme wealth has been highlighted with the recent downturn in our economy. Now, more than ever, more people are concentrating on their material wellbeing, sometimes neglecting their own spiritual wellbeing. Here at FUNDamentals, we thought it might help us to put things in perspective if we examined the differences between material wealth and what it means to be truly wealthy in the spiritual sense.  

Baha’u’llah said:

"Say: Rejoice not in the things ye possess; tonight they are yours, tomorrow others will possess them… Happy the days that have been consecrated to the remembrance of God, and blessed the hours which have been spent in praise of Him Who is the All-Wise. By My life! Neither the pomp of the mighty, nor the wealth of the rich, nor even the ascendancy of the ungodly will endure… What advantage is there in the earthly things which men possess? That which shall profit them, they have utterly neglected. Erelong, they will awake from their slumber, and find themselves unable to obtain that which hath escaped them in the days of their Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Did they but know it, they would renounce their all, that their names may be mentioned before His throne." 

    (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 138)

Of course we do live in a material world and we depend on a material income. But if we concentrate on that to the extent that we forget about what it means to have a strong and healthy spiritual life, we end up losing our focus and become too attached to those things that we know deep down will never last. 

Acts of service and sacrifice are what help to keep us grounded and dedicated to living a life of spirituality. These acts remind us how truly wealthy we all are, encouraging us to share what we have and be thankful for it. 

Comments

[Ethel Van Zanten (Patty)]

Thank you for this reminder of what is truly wealthy. I am always happier when I can share a talent or do a service for someone more than giving them some material thing that will not last. Like you say it is a good time to remember this because of the economic situation in the world as well as the time of the year when everyone is thinking about what they can give materially or what they can get.

[Margaret Draxler]

It's a nice little reminder that there are more important things things in life than what's in your bank account.