The reality of wealth
In 1923, eight of the wealthiest people in the world met. Their combinedwealth, it is estimated, exceeded the wealth of the government of the UnitedStates at that time. These men certainly knew how to make a living andaccumulate wealth.
But let’s examine what happened to them 25 years later.
1. President of the largest steel company, Charles Schwab, lived on borrowedcapital for five years before he died bankrupt.
2. President of the largest gas company, Howard Hubson, went insane.
3. One of the greatest commodity traders, Arthur Cutton, died insolvent.
4. President of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney, was sent tojail.
5. A member of the President’s Cabinet, Albert Fall, was pardoned from jailto go home and die in peace.
6. The greatest “bear” on Wall Street, Jessie Livermore, committed suicide.
7. President of the world’s greatest monopoly, Ivar Krueger, committedsuicide.
8. President of the Bank of International Settlement, Leon Fraser, committedsuicide.
What they forgot was how to make a life! Money in itself is not evil! Moneyprovides food for the hungry, medicine for the sick, clothes for the needy.Money is only a medium of exchange. We need two kinds of education. One thatteaches us how to make a living and one that teaches us how to live. Thereare people who are so engrossed in their professional life that they neglecttheir family, health and social responsibilities. If asked why they do thisthey would reply that they were doing it for their family.
Our kids are sleeping when we leave home. They are sleeping when we comehome. Twenty years later, we’ll turn back, and they’ll all be gone. Withoutwater, a ship cannot move. The ship needs water, but if the water gets intothe ship, the ship will face problems. What was once a means of living forthe ship will now become a means of destruction. Similarly we live in a timewhere earning is a necessity but let not the earning enter our hearts, forwhat was once a means of living will be become a means of destruction.
So take a moment and ask yourself….has water entered my ship?
