Be wealthy, but not greedy

Nowadays, everyone is glued to the television sets to know more about “high profile” legal cases in the country.

All of a sudden, people have started taking interest in the judicial system.

Those who were not so serious about the laws of the land, have become law-conscious.

The decisions made by the judiciary in the recent times has instilled a renewed confidence among the countrymen in the legal system.

There is, however, no denial of the fact that public opinion, by and large, is in favour of the current trends reflected in the judgements, emanating from the courts, especially in public-interest cases.

In this rising dust and din, the real point is being missed out, as not much serious attention is being paid to the root of corruption.

Some intellectuals have pointed out that it is the high rise in lust for making easy money that has led to corruption on such a scale, but the cause for such lust has not been identified yet.

Scriptures and sages have spoken about vices and virtues.

Of all the vices, the most dangerous is greed. Greed creates such a tendency in the mind that it does not get satisfied even if one gets the whole world. This leads to corruption at all levels.

So, does it mean one should not possess wealth and remain poor for a whole life?

Not really.

What is required, in fact, is to draw a full and clear picture of wealth and create the right perception of the characteristics of wealth so that people could get a balanced view of it.

There is no denial that acquisition of wealth is necessary for sustenance, but we should not take an extreme view of its benefits and must keep in mind the negative inclinations it produces.

Accumulation of wealth does not only give rise to evil inclinations but also destroys peace and happiness.

The funniest thing about wealth is that the one who possesses it is always under the threat of losing it, the one who does not posseses it is always yearning for it and the one who posseses it in abundance is always sad while parting away with it.

Thus, a wealth-connected situation produces nothing but pain.

However, people believe that it is natural for human beings to have a desire for wealth and its fruits, but they forget that this tendency gives rise to other negative tendencies, which are self-destructive.

There is no doubt wealth is one of the primary needs of a man, but it is equally true this tendency needs to be accompanied by honesty, well-being of society and self-control, otherwise it leads to massive havoc.

Hence, one should not wrench the benefits of wealth from the dangers of greed. There has to be a balance through self-control.

Only then corruption will end and there will be a lawful and peaceful society in the real sense.