What Matters Most?

As we know, the world is full of caprices and luxuries desirable and inviting to one’s senses, irresistible even to man’s sensibilities. We often express our wishful fancies in saying, “if only I am rich and I can buy anything that I like”. Despite what common sense tells us, we still wonder why we live in scarcity while other students inside the campus live in abundance who have parents earning enormous income. That is why we could not avoid pitying ourselves sometimes and feel inadequate. However, regardless of this unfortunate reality, some things make up for our discontent, yet still make us happy individuals, such as our friends who accepted us for all that we are, not for what we have. They are the ones with whom we are not afraid to show our real selves. Nevertheless, still numerous thoughts keep us up at night, like: why do I need to wait for my birthday for my parents to buy a new t-shirt? Why does it take so long for me to earn a thousand bucks while my friends can readily ask their parents? Do I need to spend my money on lunch or just suffer hunger to buy something I want? Another common experience is when we see new pants or shoes in the store, we immediately start to save part of our allowance to be able to purchase it as soon as possible. Enviably, our friends can have this thing without sweet promises and even impossible bargains with their parents. These realities never fail to pester us. So, it is inevitable to feel that there is no use saving money at all, since by the time we have made ample money to buy what we like, somebody has already bought it, or it is already out of fashion, or we simply lose the excitement of acquiring it. And it is during these times when we do not have money, and we can only see the things that we like out of the store window, that we feel so insecure and at our worst. But it is also these moments of financial nothingness that we learn to appreciate the things that we have that money cannot buy. Call it rationalisation or “sweet lemoning”, but it really does wonders as we realised that what is really essential is invisible to the eye, like love, peace, and harmony among friends and families. Such is happiness which does not cost a cent. Hence, we understand the deeper purpose why God planned our lives the way it is, and that is why, we will do away with being shallow persons who are just concerned with the external world but somehow more discerning in what really matters most. We then learn the wisdom that what makes a person is not money or what he has, but how he deals with what he has and how he handles life. We must, therefore, gain knowledge to care less about the things we do not have and start rediscovering what we have been blessed and gifted with already; others might have actually wanted what we have already possessed. Just think this over! What matters most?

Photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash