Money and meaning

Dallas Willard is an academician. He was voted as one of America’s most influential people. I have read his books and listened to his audio materials as well. I learned a lot from him.

He speaks with a slow and deliberate monotonous tone like most learned academicians do, but what he says is always insightful and powerful which is obviously a result of careful thinking and evaluated personal experience.

When a famous person asked him what he should do in order to achieve success and true happiness, the learned philosopher said, “You have to ruthlessly eliminate hurry in your life.” A very simple line yet packs a walloping punch. To hurry is now the norm and has set many people to sickness, stress and disease.

There is a great difference between attaining your goals and being happy. Some people have achieved their goals, but unfortunately are far from being happy.

Others just want to be “happy” and plunge into doing dumb things, consequently propelling themselves into an unending cycle of miseries, involving the people who love them as well. 

Looking at successful people, they may seem highly visible, living a charmed and glamorous life, but deep inside them, they may be tumultuous, chaotic, dark and falling apart.

The world was shocked and saddened when famous actor Robin Williams of “Patch Adams” took his own life.

On the other hand, you may likewise see people with their outer world seemingly tumultuous, chaotic and dark, but their inner world is glowing.

The circumstances they are facing may not be very comfortable, yet they are journeying through life with a sense of joy and meaning.

Most people equate happiness to money. Many young people today equate success to fame and power. Both of these may be wrong.

A research group affiliated with the University of Chicago recently listed the 10 least happy jobs in the world and the 10 happiest jobs in the world.

The findings surprised many. The discovery was that the ten least happy jobs were more financially lucrative and offer higher status than the happiest jobs.

And what makes the difference? People in these jobs may have lesser money and lower social status yet have a higher sense of meaning.

Dallas Willard said: “The main thing you bring home from your work is not a paycheck. The main thing you bring home from your work is your soul. We are made to create value. Work should be a soul issue.”

You and I are not just humans devoid of a soul. A person is essentially a collection of conscious experiences far more than just bodies and appetites.

You may have forgotten this or may even have missed this but to a lot, a beautiful sunset, a kiss, perhaps a touching scene in a movie, a victorious experience, etc., mean so much. We are in our own experience, which is why we treasure the good ones. And these conscious experiences of life will go on until we depart from this planet.

Many people do not understand this: they focus on money and live with the maxim, “The end justifies the means….and for others the end justifies the meanness!”

And then they cheat and steal. They are rude, arrogant and proud with what they have “self-achieved” without regards for others. What happens here is that money has not given them any meaning and has only damaged their souls, which is not a good thing at all.

In the end, the outer world fades and we are left with the inner world. It is what we will take with us.

Regardless of how many zeroes we have at the end of the amounts in our checkbooks, you and I are unceasing spiritual beings with an eternal destiny in God’s glorious universe.

And to those who may not believe this will have to at least give this a considerable amount of thought. What if this were true?

Be successful. Earn money. Help others and never allow success to destroy the soul.

(Connect with Francis Kong in www.facebook.com/franciskong2. or listen to “Business Matters” Monday to Friday 8 a.m. And 6:30 p.m. over 98.7 dzFE-FM ‘The Master’s Touch’, the classical music station.)