By Fr. Adolf Washington
Greek Philosopher Socrates was so convinced of his teaching that wise people are not obsessed with material things that he chose not to wear footwear. He would frequent the market place and gaze upon the many things on sale and walk back buying nothing. When some asked him why he did that he said “It helps me realize how happy I am without these things”.
Evangelist John Wesley who lived on just twenty-eight pounds a year said “As soon as money comes my way, I give it away before it finds a place in my heart”.
An old Irish blessing reads “May you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live”. If we want to feel rich, we must count all that we have in life that money cannot buy. We are happy when we get what we want but unhappy when we get what we want and keep wanting again.
A newspaper carried an article about a young man who found a five dollar bill on the street. He became so obsessed in finding more that he never lifted his eyes off the ground after that. Over the years, in his obsession to possess, he ended up collecting 29,516 buttons, 54,172 pins and ended up with a hunchback and a miserly disposition. He missed the beauty of the daily sunrise, the sheen of the stars, the bright blue skies, the smiles of people around, flowers blooming, and birds gliding from tree to tree. He lost the very joy of life.
When our minds are focused heavenward, our earthly needs come to us naturally. That is why Jesus says “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you” (Mathew 6:33). Jesuscautions of the misery of losing one’s spiritual identity over obsession to material things “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”(Matthew 16:26).
Happiness is not a situation of being surrounded by material things but an attitude of being thankful over what we have and not being morose over what we don’t have. After all, money can get us a bed, not sleep, companions, not friends, medicine, not health, food not appetite, jewelry but not beauty of the soul.