“Please come for a drink in the evening,” I humbly invited the Gentleman.
He came in the evening and, after meagre but heartwarming formalities, sat in my lush garden. After an exchange of basic etiquette and services, I realized that he was actually looking around the house as if searching for or evaluating my ancestral premises.
“Hmm, the house looks quite old — it’s your ancestral property, I guess,” he said.
“Yeah, this is about eighty years old, my grandfather built it.” —
“How large is the area?” he asked with some concern.
“Mmmmm, it should be fifteen hundred square yards,” I answered very casually.
“Okay”… A brief silence. Then he spoke .” How much is the land price in your colony?”
So, here we are … The gentleman is trying to evaluate my worth.
A man who walks into my house for the first time after receiving a humble invite evaluates me.
I infer that my worth is not my passion and sensitivity, but is the scale of,
* The Money I Have
* The number and make of cars parked in my driveway:
* The quality and brand of clothes that I wear in the Pseudo social gatherings,
* The hyperbolic and conceited talks I do, raving about my skills and hobbies,
* Posts on social media about my achievements and foreign trips.
* The wealth I squandered in a marriage party or constructing a new house … etc
Does anyone know? … How much loan do I have on my shoulder? … How much EMI I am paying off?
The answer is a big ‘NO’!
Why do we build a facade of pseudo mannerisms and skills on the social front? It’s actually rude to ask somebody…” what do you do ?”… It is as rude as asking a lady’s age. But, ain’t we normally indulged in this kind of social conversation?
I was travelling overseas. During the long and boring nine-hour flight ordeal, I became conversant with my co-passenger, who happened to be an attractive young lady. We talked about the horrible in-flight food, the present political scenario across the globe, my passion for music and writing and her penchant for travelling. To top it we talked about our personal preferences for love and relationships.
After having a good gobble of red wine we dozed off. While lifting our bags from the carousel we saw each other and smiled. She walked to me, shook hands and we introduced ourselves.
During almost three hours of our in-flight chatting, we refrained from asking…What do you do? or Who are you?
Don’t we become judgmental and start assessing the person’s financial gravity by asking the profession. We tend to form a meaningless opinion and become selfish, looking for motives.
This is unhealthy
Once a friend gave a very nice and positive suggestion while I was depressed at work.
“Doc, you are a Professional, and your worth is determined by the experience, the degrees that you have achieved and by the list of successful operations that you have done …No one should evaluate your worth with the money you have. Your worth is your work.”
Your Mind and Brain should be evaluated, not Your Pocket.
A Business Entrepreneur is assessed by his financial worth and assets.
Why are Bill Gates, Mukesh Ambani etc known for their money?
No one is interested in knowing their educational status.
In a nutshell, there shouldn’t be a comparison …So, no depression.
While talking, we have to shun the habit of constantly attempting to assess a person’s status.
Live life KING SIZE, as if you are the Master of the Universe. Truly said, it’s you who forms this world. Once you are gone, everything will seize upon itself.
Mutual comparison and jealousy nurture hatred, deceit and an unpleasant mental status.
Live for the day…as this is what you have in your hands.
