An old adage says that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man (or woman) to go to Heaven. It is certainly a common belief that extreme wealth makes people more selfish – greedier and greedier. Therefore, the “rich” are possibly less than “spiritual.” This seems to imply that poor people are consequently more prone to have selfless, humble behaviors. It is not always the case.
If excessive wealth can be an additional incentive toward a more mundane way of life, poverty, too, may lead to dangerous feelings such as resentment and envy toward the “lucky ones.” Actually, if we think about it, we realize that even those who are “in the middle,” i.e. those who have enough to live a sufficiently comfortable life, are often prey to dissatisfaction, they wish they had more, crave to climb on a higher rung of the social ladder.
The path that rich people have to walk on in search of spiritual progress seems more difficult, but not because wealth itself is “bad“: it becomes a negative asset only when it becomes an instrument for increasing greed, hunger for power, conceit, and so on. Actually, every rung on the “social ladder” has its negative characteristics, which, instead of leading one upwards, can make him/her stumble and crush down onto the ground. What to do? Let us imagine the sun as a symbol of the capability to become “aware,” i.e. to be able to see things and people as they truly are, giving them their true value and consideration. Such “sun” spreads its rays in all directions, but every spot on Earth receives and absorbs the light according to the intensity of its desire, will and, most of all, proportionally to its commitment to accept the gift of light and make it its own.
The energy is there but often it is not utilized by human beings because they are unable to see it, they do not perceive its abundance, at times they don’t even realize that it exists and is available to all. If, every now and then, they succeed in seeing such “light,” they may forget to turn the “switch” fully on, and so the amount of “energy” released is smaller than it could be.
The attraction of mundane gains and excitement makes one’s eyes look elsewhere and thus, instead of seeing the sun, they stare at a cloud which, although lacking any consistency, is nevertheless able to dim the sun’s light for as long as they keep looking at it. If you can be unbiased, you end up realizing that all life experiences, the money, the fun, the circumstances one finds him/herself in are actually neither beautiful nor ugly, neither good nor bad. They just “are.”
Your task as a conscious human being is to simply look at the world without prejudice and without false interpretations. When something that you dislike happens, does getting upset, having a tantrum, complaining and whining improve the situation? It certainly does not. On the contrary, accepting it with patience and grace, though, will help you to take the wisest step according to the circumstances.
Accept therefore what you have and what happens to you in a “positive” way, and try to understand what “gift” might be hidden there, in order to benefit from it and share it with your fellow beings. P.S. In spite of what appearances are, a “gift” can always be found. This, after all, is the “secret” of Creative Thinking. Who doesn’t know the famous saying “When you have lemons, make lemonade“?
If you don’t stubbornly persist in trying to obtain orange juice out of lemons, you will be able to appreciate a healthy, tasty drink that up to now you have discarded as “sour.” What about adding a little “sugar“? (flexibility, “joie de vivre“?). Don’t be so “stiff.” Your eyes can look in all directions if your turn your head sideway – and back, too!
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