Be wise - Go for Total Wealth.
When we lack certain things, the joy of living is diminished. In
some instances we may become considerably distressed and even
incapacitated. When we are sick, in other words, when we lack
good health, it is usually not a happy circumstance and we do
all we can to regain our health. When someone is poor, that is,
when they lack money and material possessions, life is not very
enjoyable. Such a person is not able to live the way he or she
wishes or do the things he or she wants. Poverty oppresses and
incapacitates. As individuals and as nations, we all are
desirous to distance ourselves from poverty. Likewise, life is
not so full and satisfying when we fail to find happiness and
fulfillment in relationships and in our work. (By relationships,
I mean relationship with God and our fellow human beings). The
deep desires we have to commune with deity and to love and be
loved by others are emotional needs we are born with. And so we
find that human beings experience want in three identifiable
areas. Life requires us to cope with physical, material and
spiritual wants.
The saying, 'health is wealth' implies that someone in good
health can be said to have physical wealth. When a person has a
lot of money and material possessions we describe him or her as
being materially wealthy. In the same vein, when someone finds
happiness and fulfillment in relationships and in their work,
they can be said to possess spiritual wealth. And so we come to
the concept of total wealth. To have total wealth is to be
completely free from any form of lack, be it physical, material
or spiritual. This is the holistic model of success. A person is
truly wealthy only when he or she has gained total wealth.
In general, people tend to be primarily concerned with their
material well-being. Hence they focus on striving for material
wealth. But thanks to Jane Fonda, the keep fit buff. In the last
few decades, Americans and others around the globe have realized
the need to pursue wealth of the physical kind. There is now an
awareness of the health risks inherent in the sedentary life
style engendered by technological advancement. These days, being
healthy is not just about being free from sickness. One has to
be physically fit. Lots of people are now adopting the proactive
approach of exercising regularly to maintain good health and
keep fit.
However, gaining spiritual wealth is one goal most people
cannot be said to be striving hard to attain. And to think that
this ought to be our priority. When someone gains spiritual
wealth, they are guaranteed to also achieve material and
physical wealth. If you have any reservations about this
assertion, then listen to the wise counsel of one of the world's
greatest spiritual luminaries, Jesus Christ of Nazareth:
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you
will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is
not life more important than food, and the body more important
than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or
reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds
them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by
worrying can add a single hour to his life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not
even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here
today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much
more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry saying,
'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we
wear?' For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly
Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as
well." (Taken from the Bible (NIV), Mathew 6:25-33).
But what is there to lose if someone chooses not to bother with
the pursuit of spiritual wealth? This is a perfectly legitimate
question to ask and the answer can be found by taking a close
look at the lives of some prominent individuals. (Some of them
are late).
When it comes to fame and fortune, very few people can match
Michael Jackson. The tag 'superstar' was simply not good enough
for him and so he has been dubbed 'megastar'. Unquestionably,
the singer has raked in megabucks as earnings from record sales
worldwide. But in spite of his stupendous career success, he has
not found happiness and fulfillment in close relationships. His
marriage to Priscilla Presley did not prove to be blissful. He
has been involved in other relationships that ended on a sour
and acrimonious note with settlements taking place in and out of
court. Michael Jackson may rank as one of the richest and most
famous men in the world, but he certainly is not one of the
happiest. Riches and popularity are just not enough. We need
spiritual wealth to guarantee happiness and fulfillment in life.
The late Princess Diana had everything going for her, it would
seem. She became a member of one of the world's most loved and
respected royal families by marriage. In terms of material
wealth and social status, her union with British royalty
catapulted her to the very top. However, the love of God and
fellow man which are pointers to spiritual wealth were not
particularly evident in her private life. In close
relationships, happiness and fulfillment eluded her. She slid
from the position of dream princess to the level of adulterous
spouse and then chose to tag along as girlfriend to a wealthy
businessman. We all know the tragic end to her story. She was
killed in a car crash while on a trip with her lover.
By third world standards, late Bob Marley was a phenomenal
success. Reggae, a brand of music unique to the Caribbean Island
of Jamaica was made popular around the globe by this highly
talented musician. But it was his deficiency in the area of
physical wealth that brought his soaring career to an abrupt and
premature end. He succumbed to cancer at the relatively young
age of thirty-one when he should have been at his creative best.
Another notable figure who possessed material wealth but
lacked the physical kind was the late King Hussein of Jordan. As
monarch of an oil producing Arab State, he enjoyed the affluence
and influence that come with his position. But he had
unsatisfied physical wants. Even the best doctors in the United
States could not save him from the cancer that put an end to his
reign while he was still in his sixties. Money cannot always
secure good health much less procure longevity. Only the
possession of spiritual wealth will enable us attain and
maintain happiness, good health and success in life.
If anyone is still not convinced of the wisdom of striving for
spiritual wealth, the statement I am about to quote should
settle the matter. It was made by someone who has chased after
the material as well as the spiritual kind of wealth.
Sir John Templeton is one of America's most successful
financial investors. He is reputed to have created some of the
world's largest and most successful international investment
funds. Later, he sold his various Templeton Funds to the
Franklin Group for $440 million. Now in his nineties, he is a
fulltime philanthropist. Through the John Templeton Foundation
which he established, he gives away about $40 million a year to
funding work aimed at discovering and advancing scientific
knowledge about the spiritual aspect of life. For his many
accomplishments, he was knighted Sir John by Queen Elizabeth II
in 1987. Here is what this extraordinary individual has to say
about what the pursuit of spiritual wealth has done to his life:
"I focus on spiritual wealth now, and I am busier, more
enthusiastic, and more joyful than I have ever been." (Culled
from www.templeton.org).
We all want the best for ourselves and total wealth is the very
best that life has to offer us. Be wise, go for it.