We often put our affection on things that have a price tag.
There’s this story about an old rich man who was cranky and miserable, who went to see a rabbi for a heart-to-heart talk. The rabbi was a man whose heart was right and who lived a simple life. Minutes into their talk, the rabbi came up with a wonderful idea to show the rich man what the problem was. The rabbi took the rich man by the hand and led him over to the window. The rabbi instructed, “Look out the window and tell me what you see.”
The rich man looked out the window and said, “Well, I see some men and some women, and I see a few children.”
The rabbi took the rich man by the hand again and led him across the room to a mirror this time. The rabbi instructed, “Now look there and tell me what you see.”
The rich man frowned and said, “Well obviously I see myself.”
“Interesting,” the rabbi said, “Both the window and the mirror have glass. But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little bit of silver. And no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, and you see only yourself.”
Maybe our troubles begin when a bit of silver was added into our lives, and we start looking at and stop looking through.
Are we looking through right now, or are we looking at?
I have a high school friend who used to be a close buddy of mine. We played for the school team together, we went out together, and (here’s my confession) we even cut classes together. He was really fun to hang out with.
But then we parted ways. After several years, I heard how good a businessman he has become. My friend hit it rich! I was very happy for him.
Then we had a reunion.
It was the first time I saw him in many years. I almost didn’t recognize him. How he has aged! Sure he was wearing signature clothes and expensive-looking shoes, but his trademark fun and humor were no longer in him. Every time he would open his mouth, it would be to say something about business and making money.
I thought we were going to have a good time during that reunion. Just like the old times, I had thought. I cracked a few jokes, coaxed a few smiles from him, but it’s like resurrecting a dead corpse. I went home that night totally disappointed. I wondered what happened to that fun-loving guy I used to know.
And then it hit me.
When he wasn’t rich yet, he saw the world through the glass window. He saw people and trees and flowers. He saw a colorful world. But when he was already making a lot of money, silver covered the glass and blocked the view. He went from looking through to looking at… objects with a price tag. And I can assure you the view is not very pleasant.
Oh, I wish to have a life of comfort too, and I do my best in my business to achieve that. But I still want to be able to see the world in full color, vibrant and alive.
There are two options in this life: to master and to be mastered. Master money. Never allow it to become your master.
As for me, there can only be One Master. He’s the One I will serve all my life. The One who happens to own everything in this universe.
(All seats were taken during the last Leadership Seminar Workshop. The last run for this year is now open for early registration. Develop your leadership skills and spend two whole days with Francis Kong on Nov. 21-22 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Hannah at 09228980196, or call 632-6310658 or 6310660 for more details.
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