Dear Editor,
Some people can never spend even after collecting a lot of money. People’s behavior regarding money is sometimes surprising. People, whose childhood is spent in deprivation, remain poor at heart even after being rich at times. Even after buying new utensils, they keep working with old ones. New clothes are kept for a special occasion until they become out of fashion. Even after installing AC in house, they do not run it for fear of spending more electricity. In many homes, cars are just parked and only a two-wheeler is used for day to day work. Many people of middle class consider it their great achievement to buy something expensive at a low price. They become happy that how cheaply they have got the thing which others get after spending so much money. Even after collecting a lot of money, some people are never able to spend and eventually leave this world leaving it for use of their progeny. Only three movements of money are possible, to spend it, to give it to someone known, or to give it to someone else. Nor should it be left somewhere to perish. There is a beautiful verse in the Ishavasya Upanishad to show path to the miserly people, ‘Ishavasyamidam Sarvam Yakchincha Jagatyam Jagat. Ten Tyakten Bhunjitha Ma Gridhaah Kasyasvidhanam,’ which means that all movable and immovable property of the world is manifestation of God. It can be used only by spending it, by sacrificing it. Believing that this money is mine is an folly in itself, so it is not right to have any kind of greed for it. But the matter of money is so strange that those who give it out of emotion, they give their lives to help their children, many of them have to suffer neglect and humiliation in their old age. The feeling of insecurity also sometimes makes older people miserly. It is also seen that those who bargain at ten places to save Rs 5 in purchase of vegetables, spend so much money only on wedding invitations of their children and daughters. While selling newspaper waste, such people have to be weighed heavily all the time. The fear of leaving keeps haunting. Every porter, laborer or handcart finds them a swindler. When one hears of big scams, it seems that there is no connection between his personal need and his earning for the scammer who once bled his face with dishonest money. It takes the form of a pit that can never be filled. The behavior of people in relation to money nowadays is often dictated by the market. Our lavish and lavish receptions, expensive musical evenings became an essential part of every middle-class wedding. It is the glory of the market that a person who has just started earning money, if there is no TV, fridge or any two wheeler in his house, then he falls in his own eyes. To get him out of this situation, many banks take his hand and put him in a position to repay the loan installments for many years to come. As the economic condition becomes a little better, he also finds cars and houses necessary for social prestige. For coaching your children for admission in any reputed institution Parents often send to certain cities, arrange huge donations or foreign education. People spend a lot of money only for their name and social prestige. The most illogical and craziest misuse of money is in wartime. The money which is used for construction and survival in peace time is used for destruction and violence by the warring nations and no one finds anything wrong in it. The attraction of money has increased in our time to such an extent that most of the people have everything for it. Religion, morality, honesty, self-respect etc get ready to sell. But some such rare people can be seen even today, who are not ready to deal with these things at any cost. They still believe in the biblical statement that it is not as difficult for a camel to pass through a needle as it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of the God. When we think about such people who give importance to simplicity and non-possession, the picture of Mahatma Gandhi emerges in front of us even in present time.
Vijay Garg.
