The Waters of Wealth

Most of us work all our lives to eke out a living. The cave-men of old had to hunt every day to keep themselves alive. Being employed as a white collar worker in a modern company is not as harrowing as having to risk one's life daily just to keep our stomachs full. 

We are first of all, born to survive and procreate. The rest are just details. But these other details are what make us human, and make us want to make the most of our lives. We do not want to just be able to survive, we also want to love and be loved, to accumulate wealth and to achieve a certain standing in society so that we might be respected and looked up to.

These so-called 'details' are where we as citizens of the modern world spend most of our time on. We want  to wear good clothes that reflect our personality and style. We want to drive expensive cars so that we'll not only enjoy the act of driving safely and comfortably but also be able to broadcast our taste and social status to the world. We want to show that we are a 'success' in life and is wealthy enough to live a life of luxury and comfort.

If we can't show off our success to the world, it would feel rather futile. Success and recognition has to come hand-in-hand. If you live on a desert island all on your own, you would not bother so much with appearances, instead your priority will be your health and survival.

So we spend our lives going all out to pursue wealth. Only with money, all of life's many inconveniences can be taken care of. We can afford to turn on the air-conditioning when it's too hot; we can enjoy the best food and wine, buy the latest fancy gadgets and send our children to the best schools. And of course, be able to access the best healthcare services if our fragile bodies fail us.

We want people to acknowledge the fact that we have wealth and that is why we broadcast our good life all over social media. Even better if they are envious of our successful lifestyle. We feel proud. Something within us gets inflated. And it seems to feel good.

Then we ask ourselves, why is that so? Why is there this need to constantly feed the ego? The ego seems to require this nutrient called 'likes' to grow. What happens when it grows to an enormous size? Does it ever get satiated?

We suddenly realise that once we start feeding this ego pet, we can never abandon it. It constantly demands more. Not only does it need our incessant care and attention, we find ourselves strangely dependent on its continued growth and survival too. Losing it would be devastating to us. We might not even be able to survive anymore without its existence.

How did we acquire this strange dependency? We were only doing what every other healthy individual does: simply acquiring wealth and enjoying it. What is wrong with that? I am enjoying life. Part of that enjoyment comes from being acknowledged and admired for our success in doing so.

How stealthily this strange creature creeps on us! Its nourishments are seemingly harmless things: a praise from someone, a heart emoji on Instagram, an envious glance from a stranger. The seeds of ego spring to life suddenly. And one day, we realise that it is even parasitic--its continued growth takes precedence over everything else. Like an invasion of some alien body-snatcher, the ego is now us. Killing it is like striking a mortal blow to our own body.

How do we prevent our lives from being hijacked by this alien life-form called Ego?  Should we avoid seeking praise and publicity? 

Awareness is the first step. When you plan to plant some beautiful flowers in your garden, you have to know how to weed too. It is this constant weeding that keeps our plants healthy. Be grateful that you are praised for your achievements; acknowledge and let them go. That's how you keep your ego in check. 

Share your success with others. Accumulate wealth with the intention of giving them away. Nothing is yours in this universe, because you are just passing by. By giving and helping others, you become a distributor of wealth, rather than a selfish consumer. 

Only by allowing the waters of wealth to flow, does your soul not become a stagnant pool, where ego mosquitoes would breed. So let's go all out to find that wellspring of wealth and once found, let them flow in abundance!