Greed adds nothing to what we have; it only makes us more empty.
In greed, we miss what we have; in contentment, we enjoy what we have.
An impartial survey of our own experience and a little reflection dictate that without contentment, we will not be happy even if we were to get everything in the world. There will always be something better, greater, higher to pursue. The Gītā 4.22 tells us that “he alone is happy who is equanimous, free from envy, and who has the disposition to be content with whatever is received unsought.” Giving up greed for more, let’s cultivate contentment–the most precious wealth.
A story is told of a person who possessed the like of an Aladdin’s lamp. This lamp granted every wish of its owner. After a while, the owner got kind of bored with the lamp. Someone told him that there was another person in the town who had an even better lamp—this lamp doubled the wish of its owner. After searching for this luckier owner of the lamp, the man inquired if the owner of the doubling lamp would like to make an exchange. To the surprise of the first owner, the owner of the lamp that promised double wishes agreed to an exchange.
Now, the first owner hurried back to his home to test his new lamp. He closed all the doors and put the lamp on its pedestal, ready to make a wish. “Give me a large, beautiful house,” commanded the owner. “Why not two?” replied the lamp. Then the man said,” Give me a sports car.” The lamp replied, “Why not two?” After a few more similar tries, the owner discovered to his dismay that it was only a talking lamp, programmed to reply “Why not two?” to every request made. But it was too late. The owner of the talking lamp had already left town.
So much for greed!
An excerpt from author’s book 7 Habits of Highly Fulfilled People, p. 99.
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