What we need in the world is not just wealth creation. We need to create well-being. Wealth is just one of the tools towards human well-being, not the whole of it. But right now, people are going at it like it is a religion. We have turned money into god and we are pursuing it relentlessly. Money is just a means, it is not an end by itself. We created it for our convenience. But in pursuit of wealth, we are destroying the very planet on which we live. Instead of thinking of wealth creation, if we think of creating human wellbeing, we would just do whatever is needed to the extent it is needed.
We need to examine our idea of wealth. Is it just about more buildings, more machines, more cars, more of everything? More and more is death. In the most affluent societies in the world, for example in the European Union, nearly 40% of the population suffers from a psychological disorder. If you just withdraw the medication from the market, almost half the continent will go crazy. That is not well-being. Generally, a European citizen has everything that anyone would dream of. There is wealth but no wellbeing. What are you going to do with this wealth?
When I am in the United States, when I ask them, “Why don’t you meditate?” the common answer everywhere is, “But we have got to pay bills.” I tell them, “Why do you guys generate so many bills? If your whole life is about paying bills, why generate those damn bills? You can curtail yourself and live more comfortably, isn’t it? To pay all those bills you are working endlessly. What is the point?” “No, the whole society is doing it.” It doesn’t matter. They are driven by somebody else. If you have any sense, you must drive yourself to the extent that you are comfortable. You don’t try to do what somebody else does. That is the wrong way to approach life.
When it comes to outside situations, no two human beings have come with the same level of capability. We need to decide how much of outside activity or inner well-being or social well-being would keep our life in a balanced way without ruining us and the atmosphere around us. Unfortunately, that intelligence is missing in the world. We are just going rampant. The way we are going is insane because the kind of lifestyle the world has chosen is just not sustainable. It can only crash and we will have to learn the lesson the hard way. Either we correct this ourselves or nature will do the correction very cruelly. The choice that we have is to either live sensibly or senselessly. The choice is not about wealth and poverty. The choice is between expressing our needs and finding fulfillment in a sensible way or in a blatant way.
