When dollars shower on you…

 

When dollars shower on you…

 What will you do when suddenly dollars shower on you while walking on a busy street? This is not a hypothetical question anymore. As per a video which is doing the round, I am told that a millionaire, when he was in his death bed, asked his friend to scatter all his money in the streets after his death.( this is the essence of the video and I admit I do not know the detail)

This video was surprising But what is troubling me is the question - what I would have done if I were present at that spot? Will I go for it or stay back? At times I throw such unwanted questions at myself.

Obviously the first sensation will be the moral prick. Religious texts, spiritual gurus, moral science classes, parents, elders and many others have repeatedly told me that I should not greed for others money. I should only have the money which is earned by my hard work. Every penny should be earned. I should not steal or make money through subterfuge.

Then I am told that wealth which comes freely is not good. The Law of Karma or Law of Attraction does not endorse it. Rarely money comes freely and even if it happens by chance then such money may have stains of sin. So better to avoid them like plague( or covid).

Spiritual gurus have constantly reminded me about the worthlessness of too much money. Being rich is not the be all and end all of life. Happiness and clear conscience are more important than money is the underlying theme of all their valuable teachings.

What will others think if they find me grabbing at those dollars flying in the air or those  which escaped the greedy hands of the crowd and settled on the path? Don’t they feel how mean and lowly i am? Will they not realise how much craving I have for money even after having more than enough to lead a good life? Imagine the video, wherein I am ravenously scrambling for those few dollars, being shared among my known circle. What image I will have in the society after that?

Again I admit that my guru has told me that I can achieve the spiritual bliss if I could stand away from all these rat race and witness this mad rush with a smile. One Mr. Maslow had told that Self- Actualization is the last level in the need hierarchy pyramid.

So am I to understand that  these external factors will make me hesitant at that moment when I see the money raining on me? Will these thoughts really  influence my action? Shockingly, I am really not sure how I will react if I am there physically.

 Deep within , my instinct says, that I will join that crowd in the mad rush. Money, in whatever form, is valuable. If someone has decided to share his wealth after his death then we should respect that action and accept it as a gift of the benevolent superpower. When money comes your way unexpectedly then you should not refuse it. Such serendipity is rare. After all you are not stealing or earning it with stealth.

The spiritual( nowadays they also double up as business gurus as well) gurus have also said that I should be smart enough to recognise it when opportunity knocks. So both arguments have their worth.

But who am I to remember all this when I see fortune falling on me. If you feel that I will step aside as a witness and later brag how I withstood the temptation, then you are mistaken. I will be one among the crowd, trying to gather as much money as possible. Later I will thank God and even keep away a part of the money for charity. If you find me in the video, you are free to circulate it- but don’t ask how much I got. Just, out of curiosity, can I ask what you would have done?