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Money and smartness. Does nothing else matter?

sravna

Well-known member
Life is becoming more and more limited in dimensions that ultimately we now only care for money and exhibiting our smartness. The quality of experiences and therefore of life have correspondingly shrunk. Everything in life is now more quantitative from money to intelligence.

I find it really saddening that it has got to this state of affairs. The nuances and the variety that life can offer seems to be lost in the hustle and bustle of having to make money.

Sometimes I get enraged that this is being thrust upon everyone by a few whose mind is consumed by money and power so that their agenda goes smoothly and unobstructed. They have numbed the thinking capabilities of people making them not look beyond physical comforts.

More later
 
I believe a few hundreds run more than a billion people. The overwhelming majority thus have these people define their ambitions, the methods to reach them and their life path in general. I believe the general public is no less capable than these usurpers of others life.

People indeed can shrug these harmful influences off if they put their mind and determined efforts to it but before that understanding of the problem and the will to solve them are essential.
 
The solution is we need to get more qualitative. The more qualitative we get the more real we get. Reality is what can bestow true peace and happiness.

Mind and body represent idealism and pragmatism respectively. A balance between the two is what an enlightened soul represents and what is sync with reality.

The mind has in store exciting possibilities which remain an utopian dream but can be turned real by synchronising with pragmatism.

Pragmatism alone is the domain of illusion and always ends in fakeness and dissatisfaction.
 
Our current reality is pragmatism alone and that is the reason the quality of life is severely affected. We need to infuse
and blend it with the right idealism to experience the real splendours of life.
 
One more point that is significant is the depth of corruption and depravity of mind. I have a feeling it is shallow but pervasive. Since it is pervasive and vested interests are at work, any improvement is quickly eroded and the corruption and depravity maintained.

The lack of depth is reason for great hope and allows for some strategizing to set right the problem. The pervasiveness again may be silver lining and may allow for mass correction. I have outlined potential cracks at the conceptual level to fight the establishment. One needs very unique and powerful abilities to exploit them.

On a pragmatic level it is still not easy and impossible for almost anybody except for one with above abilities as everyone knows how difficult it is to fight corrupt and powerful establishments.
 
Dear Sravna,

What you wrote is true but thats the delusion called life that we limit ourselves to a narrow scope of world made terms and conditions, we all fall for it and then some of us eventually are able to see through this game called life.

At the same time its the lessons we learn in life to reach an understanding that there is much more beyond our mind.

I feel almost everyone has some form of attachment.
For eg some are attached to money and would do anything to get it even Adharmic ways.
Then there are others who are attached to their intellect and would do anything to gain intellectualization of everything and anything though those who chase intellect are less likely to be Adharmic but they could feed their own ego and think that's all there is and not go beyond their intellect.

Both types are only following the ways of the world because we all "inherit" the ways of the world thinking its always right and not willing to submit to the words of the Divine.
There is a verse in the Quran 2:170 which talks of this state of just following what has been handed down to us:

"When it is said to them, “Follow what God has revealed,” they reply, “No! We ˹only˺ follow what we found our forefathers practicing.” ˹Would they still do so,˺ even if their forefathers had ˹absolutely˺ no understanding or guidance?"


Here the deeper meaning of what our forefathers practice is the ways of the world that we have been following.
In the sense to be chasing worldly pursue be it money or intellectualization.


Coming back to topic,partly we are too blame here because we speed up ourselves into thinking speed in the right way in life.
Kids are taught to be the fastest to answer, fastest to think. fastest to deduce a maths problem.

Here is where we are wrongly training the mind to be in reactive mode leading to amaygdala-hyper-reactivity which causes stress and may lead to depression/anxiety as we age.

In contrast,spiritual activity leads to slowing down of the time in between thoughts and calms the mind and more blood is shunted to the pre frontal cortex and this makes one able to grasp any information without the need to get hyper-reactive as the space-time between thoughts eventually gives us the time-dilation effect for efficiency in carrying out any activity be it mental or physical.

In time-dilation effect one may actually have only 10 minutes to carry out a task but to the spiritual person he gets a perception that he has 1 hour and he is able to finish in 10 minutes what another person would take 1 hour.

So the benefits of being less hyper-reactive and experiencing time-dilation is far efficient than someone who is in constant stress to speed up everything and cause imbalance in their mind and body.

But its very hard to implement such understandings to the education system these days as everything is too competitive and results oriented.
The human mind is only thought to react and win but systematically destroying the human system.

Desire is the culprit here.
Because desire based thinking feels success or victory is only because another has to fail or lose.

We humans still have not come to fully understand that success or failure is just a small aspect of our thinking and there is so much more beyond polar opposites.
 
No wonder, you are a Gold Member.
Your analysis reminisces with the thought analysis of j.Krishnmurthy in substance and style of expression. Feel much benefitted. Thank you and I look forward to more of your enlightenments
R Viswanathann
 
Many people have seen the intoxication of crude materialism. But let me say the mesmerizing effects of unswervingly following the right are far far greater. You really will be captivated. Few people have tried enough. With sharing my experience I hope I can make people think that there is an alternate way to life. There are of course people who have lived that in the past. All that is totally lost now especially with a lot of foreign influence.

If I as an individual have stood up to the most intense pressure imaginable think what the whole nation can do. Mental strength can be hard to break. It is very much required of people now.
 
Okay, let's be real—money and smarts grease the wheels, no doubt. But the real happiness sauce? It's a mix of connections, hobbies, and a sprinkle of personal growth. What's your secret recipe for happiness? spill it!
 
Okay, let's be real—money and smarts grease the wheels, no doubt. But the real happiness sauce? It's a mix of connections, hobbies, and a sprinkle of personal growth. What's your secret recipe for happiness? spill it!
Each person might view life differently but for me as I grow older, I am into lessening the loads in my life.

The loads I am unloading are:

1) material loads such as money and property.

2) Intellectual loads eg all acquired knowledge in this life be it secular knowledge or spiritual knowledge which could actually form a barrier to our ownselves.
None of these matter at the time of death.

There is no secret recipe for happiness.
As long as we are alive we are bound to experience both happiness and sorrow.
 
Okay, let's be real—money and smarts grease the wheels, no doubt. But the real happiness sauce? It's a mix of connections, hobbies, and a sprinkle of personal growth. What's your secret recipe for happiness? spill it!
It is not a secret. We just have to practice what has been told a trillion times. Be in control of your senses and desire. I mean it is ok to indulge your senses and desire but you should be able to rein them in at your will.
 
It is not a secret. We just have to practice what has been told a trillion times. Be in control of your senses and desire. I mean it is ok to indulge your senses and desire but you should be able to rein them in at your will.
You've hit the nail on the head! It's no secret, just good old wisdom. Mastering control over our senses and desires is the key to a balanced and fulfilling life. It's totally cool to indulge, but having that ability to rein it in at will is what sets us on the path to success and contentment. Wise words to live by!
 
The indulging part is what is difficult if you really have the capability to rein it at will. But true spirituality is about being into the physical as well. We have been taught about mind control but not about striking balance with some healthy dose of the material.
 
Finding my happiness is like the satisfaction of playing online games—immersing myself in activities I love. Balancing personal interests with the joy of navigating life's diverse landscapes brings a sense of fulfillment, whether in the digital or real world.
Your perspective on finding happiness through activities you love is right on! Balancing personal interests with navigating life's diverse landscapes is inspiring. Any favorite online games you'd recommend? I'm eager to explore that avenue of joy and satisfaction too!
 
The indulging part is what is difficult if you really have the capability to rein it at will. But true spirituality is about being into the physical as well. We have been taught about mind control but not about striking balance with some healthy dose of the material.
Indulgence isnt balance.
Indulgence is desire based and it will form imprints( vasanas) in us.

For eg I love studying languages and my full time indulgence is Arabic.
Never a moment goes without me writing down my day to day activities in Arabic or reading and writing it.

Then recently I thought..is this indulgence?
The answer is yes.
Is it good?
Well, learning languages is good for the brain and memory..so yes, its good for the physical body.

But what about my subtle body?
Am I having a slight over indulgence here?
The answer is Yes.

Any form of over indulgence whether studying languages or praying or sports or earning money or any form of knowledge pursue or even meditation is yet vasana forming.

So what do I do?
Did I give up my love for languages?
No..I did not, I still study it but I dropped the idea of being attached to it.

That way anything I study or do is stored in my memory but not being attached to it helps to prevent vasanas.


Balance from my understanding is leading our lives in the ways most conducive to have the least amount of vasanas but that need not mean we are inactive either.

Its like " Do what feels right to us but dont be attached to it"

I have noticed that when we drop attachment to anything we do we actually do it better and learn faster because the mind isnt using up energy by getting our emotions of indulgence involved.
 
Renuka you are correct. I was half joking when I said indulgence is the difficult part. Indulgence of course means unduly more. If you have the right self control it wont happen. But you can enjoy yourself thoroughly just as in indulgence . Self control gives you the highest bliss.
 
Money and power are needed when you are hungry, philosophy can come after your belly is full.

The immediate and practical needs of survival over more abstract or philosophical considerations. It suggests that when someone is hungry or struggling to meet basic needs, their primary focus is on obtaining resources like money and power to address those immediate concerns.
This viewpoint highlights the importance of practicality and pragmatism in certain situations, acknowledging that philosophical contemplation may be a luxury afforded to those who have already satisfied their basic needs. The idea is that when basic survival needs are met, individuals may have the luxury of engaging in more abstract or philosophical pursuits.
However, it's essential to recognize that people's priorities and perspectives can vary widely. While addressing immediate needs is crucial, some argue that philosophical reflection and consideration of broader values and principles are integral to a meaningful and fulfilling life, even in the face of practical challenges.
Ultimately, the relationship between money, power, philosophy, and well-being is complex and multifaceted, with individuals placing different emphasis on these aspects based on their circumstances, values, and personal beliefs.
 
Money and power are needed when you are hungry, philosophy can come after your belly is full.

The immediate and practical needs of survival over more abstract or philosophical considerations. It suggests that when someone is hungry or struggling to meet basic needs, their primary focus is on obtaining resources like money and power to address those immediate concerns.
This viewpoint highlights the importance of practicality and pragmatism in certain situations, acknowledging that philosophical contemplation may be a luxury afforded to those who have already satisfied their basic needs. The idea is that when basic survival needs are met, individuals may have the luxury of engaging in more abstract or philosophical pursuits.
However, it's essential to recognize that people's priorities and perspectives can vary widely. While addressing immediate needs is crucial, some argue that philosophical reflection and consideration of broader values and principles are integral to a meaningful and fulfilling life, even in the face of practical challenges.
Ultimately, the relationship between money, power, philosophy, and well-being is complex and multifaceted, with individuals placing different emphasis on these aspects based on their circumstances, values, and personal beliefs.
My point is not money is not needed at all. But to what extent one will go for the sake of more money and power or to sustain wealth and power? That is abominable.
 
Devious plans to sustain wealth and power are the order of the day originating from despicable minds. Everything done has the angle of money and power. It is also foolish.
 
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