Prem Shashin
A noted Indian author, in his recent article said this about the ethos of Indians regarding doctors serving in the public healthcare system of India. “Good people are necessarily poor or have no needs of their own’ and that this ethos must go.
Has he caught the pulse of ethos about just Indian doctors or people worldwide? Let’s find out.
For centuries, the self-appointed religious heads have been derogatory of gratification of riches and propagated that it is anti-religion. It is non-sacred and sinful to indulge in riches in this world and thus against religiosity. Indulgences translate into denial of entry into heaven after-life and to being subjected to torture in hell. Also that non-indulgence is a ticket to relishing riches in heaven after death. These ideas are common across many religions.
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The impact is evident in the mindset of people around us. The rich are inhibited and scared to enjoy their wealth even though they have worked hard for years to earn them. So, they wear masks of conscientiousness religiosity. Some shyly enjoy their wealth but succumb to guilt that poisons them day in and day out and become unstable longing to dilute indulging. For atonement, they may donate to the needy, places of worship and/or to the needy.
The vicious circle follows. The poor become dependent and live on others. Doomsayers also say that such poor anyway suffer in this world so they deserve better life after death and are compensated with a free ticket to heaven. On the other hand, the sinful should be punished after death, they are denied entry into heaven and are tortured in hell.
Clearly, this process, these heads take complete control over both, the rich and non-rich who are fearful of after-life torture, and so follow them blindly.
This misguided idea has existed for ages in the Indian sub-continent too. While progressive countries are developing at enviable pace, the non-rich in India and in other countries become dependent on the state or the rich. Some are unwilling to work to live respectably or to become self-sufficient. Caught in the loop of hypocrisy, fake beliefs, corruptness, unsustainable hopes and anger they continue living in poverty and cultivate enmity towards those who have worked hard to legitimately earn and become rich. Although they live a hell-like life here but consolation that they will get a free ticket into the gates of heaven and that.
Ironically, while one section does not live to relish its richness, other does not struggle to earn to live a rich life. Yet, the poor should not be forgotten and left unprotected, hungry and shelter-less.
Do we want to become a country of the guilty and/or dependents? Or do we want to grow at considerable pace.
Osho says: “ religious heads who propagate this have been against wealth and life. They dislike money though it fulfills basic needs and helps in being comfortable. They infuse rejection for owning and earning wealth in the poor and enjoyment of wealth among those who endeavor to earn it within legal framework and law of the land. In are at peace with the the rich may land up in hell. India has two types of people: misers and renouncers. Both of these types are wrong, ill, abnormal, neurotic. One should have money, earn money, produce money – and use it. One should hold it only to use and one should use it only to hold; it becomes a circle. Then a person is both, a miser and a renouncer together. When you are miser and renouncer together you are neither miser nor renouncer, you simply enjoy whatsoever money can give. Money can give many things and money cannot give many things; when you use it then you know what money can give. Money can give all that is outward – things of this world, nothing is wrong in… having a beautiful house… a beautiful garden…” While money is needed to live a decent life it is also needed to pursue art, music, literature, theatre and poetry, pottery, and other arts and crafts etc. for making life wholesome and complete. Osho says: “Wealth is as significant as beautiful music, as great literature, as masterpieces of art. You can see the logic. If you don’t have money, you can’t have anything else. Rather than cutting branches, they were cutting the very roots. A man without money is hungry, is a beggar, has no clothes. You cannot expect him to understand Dostoevsky, Nijinsky, Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, no; that is impossible”. Is it possible for the poor to appreciate art and music? Usually no; because he suffers from hunger and no shelter. Starving he doesn’t have the energy to do so or to be intelligent. Intelligence comes only when you have superfluous energy in you. They are exhausted just in earning bread and butter.
He adds that some people have innate creativity and capability to be musicians, painters for example, Mozart who played beautiful music at the age of eight. Similarly, Vincent van Gogh was born to a poor family and his was a coal miner. Uneducated at school or an art school, he could not even sell a single painting in his lifetime. Yet he is one of the greatest painters of the world. Now, each of his paintings is worth a million dollars. One of the reasons is that people could not understand or appreciate his work because tremendous intelligence is needed to understand art. Similarly, Henry Ford was born poor but he harnessed his talent, genius for creating wealth and became the richest man in the world.
This is despite all the religions heads who have tried to impoverish man as far as possible by condemning money, and praising poverty. As far as Osho is concerned, ‘they are the greatest criminals the world has known… This whole world has been turned against itself.’
According to the World Bank report dated Oct. 17, 2018 almost half the world’s population — 3.4 billion people — still struggles to meet basic needs. Tragically, when a person tries to kill a need, a part of him dies. However, the poor do not want to work hard and live on others mercy or security given by the State.
Osho says:
We should respect money, wealth because it can make you multi-dimensionally rich… I respect money. Money is one of the greatest inventions of man. It is just a means. Only idiots have been condemning it; perhaps they were jealous that others have money and they don’t. Their jealousy becomes their condemnation.
Money became the medium of exchange; the barter system disappeared from the world. Money did a great service to humanity. And because people became capable of purchasing, selling, naturally they became more and more rich.
This has to be understood. The more money moves; the more money you have…That’s why money is called currency.
Osho
…Religions never wanted man to be intelligent, never wanted man to be rich, never wanted man to rejoice, because people who are in suffering, poor, unintelligent – they are the clients of churches, synagogues, temples, mosques.
Drop all ideas that have been imposed upon you about money. Be respectful to it. Create wealth, because only after creating wealth do many other dimensions open for you. Instead, share your wealth because money is ‘not for itself, it is for life’. Money is the means but never money should not become the goal, but I am not saying at the same time that you should renounce it and become beggars – use it, it is a good means. I’m not against money, I have nothing to say against it. I am saying something about you and your possessiveness, not about money. Money can be beautiful – if it is not possessed, if you don’t become obsessed with it. It can be beautiful. Money is like blood circulating in the body: in the body of society money circulates, it is blood. It helps society to be enriched, to be alive – but it is like blood.
