Originally posted by snehaldani A point I would like to make:   perceived need of riches.

I have a few thoughts on it:

I tend to fully agree with your viewpoint about "perceived need". As long as you one does not project out a desire there is no issue. But if the hankering is for Toyota, and Mercedes comes along one is glad. But if the benchmark is Ferrari then Merc too will be disappointing.

Another point is, we as humans live for a very short time in the continuum of eternal time, and everybody is not at same level of evolution. If there was an instrument to see the mental / astral body we'd be laughing at others with how funny they are built, someone would have oversized hands or a tiny head. Since everybody is at a different stage of learning, a desire for an object can be very motivating for someone and debilitating for another person. Desire per se are not bad as long as they are making one a better person, but desires keep the motion of life moving.

Mind has to reach to a state to be contented otherwise desires themselves are not satiable. If you look at a bigger picture, sun itself can barely be seen from five galaxies away and there are over 100 billion of them and counting.... so let alone earth, which probably does not compare to size of a pollen grain floating is space. In this relative aspect, all wealth for forbes billionaires too is on that speck of pollen grain.

Enough metaphysics

if everyone got into a state of contentment, world will stop..

Edited by samirarora - 12/Nov/2009 at 7:05pm

Hi Samir,

I understand your point about religious fanatics brainwashing gullible individuals in which case option of staying hungry and greedy look more appealing so as to avoid a rape atleast.

There is difference between contentment and fear of making no progress. All outward progress has been made out of curiosity. Even a snail on the wall is trying to 'know more than it already knows'. This is natural process of evolution in all life forms. Although snail cannot appreciate the painting, more than - 'is it good to eat'. In few centuries people will be making fun of us, only a handful of people went outside earth in 21st century. SO progress will continue. Just as 200 years back 99.9% people spent all their life within 50 kms radius of birthplace.

>if everyone got into a state of contentment, world will stop..
You are correct that world will not be needed. World is needed only as a training ground and pleasure place for our entertainment. Once we exhaust all desires we will lose the Will to live. As long as something attracts you or me in this world we are bound to stay here. Question to ask is : Are you enjoying all the roller coaster ride on earth ? If answer is yes, then you should continue to enjoy. I think I am speaking from standpoint of this question: "Who am I, Why am I here" which hindu scriptures term as Brahm Jigyasa.

I personally have not reached that state so as to be actively calm and calmly active, work for works sake. Desire for making it big in life and putting that money to good use are all expansive desires, desire for helping others, desires that expand our state of mind are good. If one is burning with greed, how can there be peace. If there is no peace, how can there be happiness.

I think we are mistakenly considering contentment and advancement of physical progress in world as mutually exclusive.

Money too has not a great deal to do with contentment. Money can give us freedom and opportunity to follow higher goals in life with spare time, but we may not choose to use that time for pursuing subtler aims.

So, one can either exhaust desires by actually experiencing them or through knowledge.

Cheers