Arthur Saginian | Revisiting Money, Riches and Wealth

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor
Share on facebook
Share
Share on twitter
Tweet
Share on email
Email

Philip Wasserman wrote an interesting piece (July 4) on money, riches, and wealth — and a survey conducted by the people at Charles Schwab, and on my birthday, no less! That was the “worldly” perspective. But there is another perspective on such things … the “spiritual” perspective.

Although I am not religious by any stretch of the imagination, I have found many useful gems of wisdom and truth in that book that is now called the Bible — even an atheist can do that. 

Here are some of my favorite lines regarding “worldly” wealth in that book (especially the Gospel according to Matthew — pretty cool dude):

1: “Lay not up for yourself treasures upon earth, where moth and dust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.” Matt 6:19

2: “Jesus said unto him, ‘If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me’ … ‘And again I say unto you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’” – Matt 19:21-24

3: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (material wealth).” – Matt 6:24

Although I don’t think Jesus had anything against making money in and of itself, as is evidenced by the parable of the talents, I do think he was warning people not to think of money as something more than what it really is. 

Money buys whatever’s for sale, but that’s about all it does. 

I think he was also warning people not to delude themselves into believing money makes them better or better off than others (Proverbs 22:2). 

Finally, I think Jesus was trying to help people see that there’s no point in accumulating more (of anything) than you really need, which is actually a symptom of “spiritual poverty,” that and of fear and insecurity in general. 

Striving for wealth can also develop into a full-blown addiction. Live simple … travel light (Matt 11:30). It’s healthier for the body, mind and soul. Too much of anything comes with its own headaches — headaches I’m glad I don’t have. 

Or, as my grandmother would say, “If you need money to be happy, then you will never have enough.”  

Arthur Saginian

Santa Clarita

Related To This Story

Latest NEWS