A Materialistically rich country cannot afford to be Spiritually poor


Ancient man was a profound thinker, as he had lesser things to cloud his intelligence or limit his thinking prowess. He was better connected with the happenings around him. Even the most subtle of changes in his environment was noticed, studied and pondered upon. This created an awakening which cannot be substituted by any amount of education. Man was much better connected with his soul then, as compared to now. All ancient civilizations like Egyptian, Indus valley, Mesopotamian, Mayan, etc boast of the knowledge of the inner self, as numerous archaeological findings prove. They were believers in a higher power, capable of liberating, as well as punishing. Science was still budding. As times progressed, the ancient school of thought vanished and almost died away. Facts turned into legend, and legend into myth. The need of the hour was to procure resources for the growing tribe. And the only way to do this was to snatch them from the weaker ones. The ancient barbaric strains seen in Vikings, the Mongols, and the Huns is now reciprocated in their descendant…modern man.
Though socially developed, modern man has this burgeoning desire in himself to acquire, to possess. Having more than one’s neighbor seems to be the only driving force left in man. This inane quest for material goods has dulled mans senses, and filled him with an illusion, that hoarding is the key to nirvana. What he fails to understand, is the temporary nature of these things. Our own Hindu culture explains the concept of “Maya” in great detail. It says, that everything in this world, even the human body, is a mirage, an illusion of the mind. What really exists, is the soul, and the higher power with which it eventually connects, following a never ending cycle of rebirths, unless a person realizes the real importance of material goods. This concept, though not proven scientifically, may have been our elders’ way of teaching us the virtue of simple living and high thinking. Just imagine, the implications such an attitude would have on the world!!
The chief capitalist hub, the US would stop its quest of superficial power, and would leave all other developing countries alone, to peacefully pursue their ambitions. Come to think of it, even the developing countries would stop running the rat race, and pursue what really exists: spiritual peace; and an all pervading satisfaction…an understanding of oneself, and the experience of utopian bliss! All forms of wars and unrest in the name of religion would come to a standstill, as it does not take an Einstein to figure out, that the basic principles of all religions are essentially the same! A satisfied and happy mind would not need religious crutches to walk; it can run, on its own, unbound, free of all shackles of what is so incorrectly termed as rational thought!
Man calls himself the most intelligent species on the planet, when he is actually the most confounded being. What he fails to realize is, that happiness is supposed to be searched for within oneself, and not in some temporarily satisfying material product. Happiness lies, not at the end of the road, but in the journey itself. And the sooner man realizes this, can he throw open the windows of enlightenment upon his blighted soul, free it of all restraint, and be really rich…not in monetary terms, but a richness that is absolute. A richness that can be shared, but cannot be snatched away by anyone. Such spiritual richness is the key to bliss.