You like your peg of liquor. You grow rich. You also grow old and
get severe Diabetes. You lose the ability to drink. Because you have liver
problem, and alcohol is poison to you.
You are a bike racer, but in poverty. Later you make heaps of money,
but you are old, and your reactions have slowed down. You can buy all the
bikes, but are unable to use them, as you do not have the skill & confidence
any more.
A hen pecks the foodgrains on the floor. It ignores a diamond lying
there. Since it does not have an ability
to use a diamond.
Some senior citizens will sacrifice anything to listen for hours to Classical
music. Yet young(and unexposed) people feel that it has nothing to offer them.
Rich people surround themselves with huge quantities of cash and
gold. Yet they are unable to use them to get happiness. Because already they
have bought all the happiness that money by itself can procure.
If you lose the ability to enjoy, then you are bound to feel poor,
even when you possess all the riches.
There are Three important Links which form the Chain of (Material
)Happiness. (A)The Availability of things in the world. (B)The Availability of
things to us. And (C)our Ability to Enjoy them.
If the Link-A is missing, then you simply cannot enjoy it. For
example, you may want to travel to Jupiter. But such a facility is simply not
available in the world. Link-A is absent, and no amount of money or service can
achieve Position B.
Money is a tool to be used to get a thing from A to B. Money is only
one of the tools, as a wide variety of other things also can be bartered for A
to B movement.
But that is not enough. Link-C is important. Without the ability to
enjoy things, even if they are available to us, it doesn’t make a difference,
still we are unable to use them. For example, if you are unable to walk uphill, then you miss the joy of a peaceful walk on the Himalayas. The pleasure is available, but you cannot use it. Similarly, if you are allergic to roses,
then you cannot enjoy their softness. If you do not want to learn to swim, then
all the pleasures of swimming are denied to you.
Though moving many things from A to B involves money, it is also
true that there are a large number of things which do not need money. The
beautiful sunset, the touch of the evening air, the sounds of nature, Music on
the radio, the pleasure of friendship, things like these are available to every
one. Still, many of us do not enjoy them. The major reason is ignorance, and
not being exposed. Not knowing that there is pleasure in those.
Enjoyment of certain things is simple. A chocolate, or an ice cream
gives instant pleasant feelings to most of us. But it is not so simple to enjoy
classical music.
Enjoying certain things need a little amount of learning and
experience. To enjoy Classical music, you need some knowledge and exposure.
After that time, it will appear too enjoyable.
In certain things like bitter gourd, the enjoyment is hidden. To
tell that they are not enjoyable is like telling that we cannot eat a jackfruit
because it has thorns on the surface. Or that a Coconut is inedible because it's shell is too hard to bite.
In some other things, it takes some practice to start enjoying them.
A smoker tries very hard in the initial days, despite a lot of coughing, to
learn the habit. Once this stage is crossed, he enjoys it so much, he even
becomes an addict.
Some enjoyments are hidden by glare. You cannot see the stars while
the sun shines. You cannot feel the nice taste in a cup of tea as long as you
add sugar. You cannot find the mild taste in any rice item as long as you use a
side dish. You will find it difficult to enjoy walking as long as you use a
car.
Some enjoyments are taken for granted, and remain unappreciated. The
fish does not feel great about water, since it is surrounded by water for its
entire life. It comes to know the real value of this enjoyment only when it is
taken out of water.
Yes. The Real Meaning of Richness is the ability to enjoy things!
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