Money vs. Character

The success that rests on the foundation of character provides the real joy, which one can rejoice and fill his being with to the fullest satisfaction.

Which of the two is the right alternative, the correct choice– the men with strong character and limited money or the men with a lot of money and poor character? A tussle seems to be going on between the two for ages. At times, we have seen the moneyed men winning the race. In the world, the rich rule over everything. In other words, money wields power. People in general follow them, flatter them, and even work tirelessly to impress them.

On the other hand, we find that people with a strong character face the odds throughout their lives. They have to face acid tests to prove themselves. However, when these people come out victorious, we make them our heroes and worship them in various ways. They get name and fame and become historical figures. We sing in their praise and pay homage to them. They set examples and inspire the generations to come.

As is generally observed, wealth brings worldly success while character brings success in words only. However, even those words prove to be many times more powerful than the worldly success. It is because the success brought by money is short-lived and confined to one's life time only (at maximum); whereas, the success which is rewarded due to one's character is a permanent phenomenon. The success achieved on the basis of money provides pleasures of all sorts in large quantity. But, the success that rests on the foundation of character provides the real joy, which one can rejoice and fill his being with to the fullest satisfaction.

It is thus self-proved that money has a shorter stature than character. High character is the ultimate thing and people with high character are the ultimate winners. However, though difficult, but it is not impossible for the man of money to change into the man of character. What is required is the continuous hitting of spirituality on the stern worldliness. If you go on hitting a rock with a hammer, it appears to be a joke in the beginning. But, a day comes when the rock gives in and develops the desired cracks. Likewise, to crack the craziness of a mind obsessed with money, it is necessary to apply on it the repeated strokes of wisdom (awakened after one gets initiated into the practical experience of God by a Perfect Master of the time). When one receives the requisite hitting through meditation on the Divine Light along with the continuous dose of spiritual discourses, he is transformed to a man of strong character. History is full of such examples like Angulimaal, Sajjan Thag, etc. who were earlier mad after money and could go to any extent for it; but, later turned into gems of goodness on receiving the showers of divinity in their inner-being and set an example to be remembered by all ages to come.

So, the choice is yours. Of course, the old adage always stands there to guide you in making this choice between character and money, which says:

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost;

When health is lost, something is lost;

When character is lost, everything is lost.