Wealth, success and love

BEHIND THE SCENES

Alfred P. Dizon

(Here is an inspirational article by an unknown author emailed to us as respite from our usual commentaries.) 

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them.

Then she said, "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked. "No," she said. "He's out." "Then we cannot come in," they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. So, he said, "Go tell them I'm home, and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in. "We do not go into a house together," they replied. "Why is that?" she wanted to know. One of the old men explained. "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and pointing to another one he said, "This man is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now, go and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was over-joyed. "How nice!" he said. "Since that's the case, let us invite in Wealth. Let him come in and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "Why don't we invite Success?" But, their daughter was listening from the corner of the room. She jumped in with her own suggestion. "Wouldn't it be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

The wife agreed. "Then, let us heed our daughter's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love in to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the three old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. Then the other two also got up and followed him.

Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success, "I only invited in Love, as you directed. Why are you all coming in?"

The old men replied together, "If you had invited only Wealth or Success, the other two of us would have stayed. However, since you invited Love... wherever He goes, we go with him... because wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!"

                ***

(Here is another article shared by Mae Magdalene Frianela Cubar  of the graduate school of the University of Baguio)

“Will I ever be happy?” A question or a complaint, is it? We seem to clamor for happiness almost all the time and yet we often end up with such cliché. Then again, how can we be genuinely happy in whatever circumstance that has befallen us?

Real happiness is within every one of us when we begin to live for ourselves. Whichever existential doors we have, happiness will surely come knocking where it is invited.

With genuine kindness and enduring compassion radiating from our efforts in cultivating discipline, calmness, morals, and optimism, bliss and peace will not be far from reach.

Ven. Dr. K Sri Dhammanada recounts the four kinds of happiness for a worldly life as the happiness of possession, enjoyment of such ownerships, debtlessness, and blamelessness.

These kinds of happiness are bound to the principles of moderation in lifestyle and selfless love to do what is right and just. In my youthful years, I saw happiness as an offshoot of social acceptance and conformity alongside typical pleasures from materialism and egoism. Inevitable as an eclipse, time never stands still and so do people.

Losses came in fast pace as the gains did the same. Just then, it seeped into me that genuine happiness is beyond all pleasures known to man – it is simply being at peace with ample control and contentment. I cannot have things which I suppose I would love but I can always do something with what I have.

Bliss is fleeting just as Augustus Waters saw the world as “not a wish-granting factory”. Nevertheless, we could still get an upper hand in life as we tackle it with strength, valor, and vigor to never stop living in good faith while we can.