You Can't Take it With You

Jesus said: I tell my mysteries to those who are worthy of my mysteries. He said: There was a rich man who had much money, and who said: I will use my money that I may sow and reap and plant and fill my storehouses with fruit so that I lack nothing. This was what he thought in his heart. And that night he died. Whoever has ears, let him hear.

From the Gospel of Thomas

As I move forward in my search for gnosis and I begin to see the world with fresh eyes, the worth of material possessions is falling away. What does a $200 pair of jeans add to my life? Will dropping $100 on dinner going to nourish my soul? Is strapping myself for $500 per month to drive the latest and greatest brand new mini-van going to make me a better father? Of course not.

So what has driven me to attain and covet the material for so much of my life thus far? Well, my ego for starters. How others perceived my worth was important since I only found my worth in others validations. More stuff meant more worth. But now I see what poverty that kind of thinking really is.

I could be selling pencils on a street corner for 50 cents each. As long as I can provide for and protect my family, as long as I have my wife by my side, as long as I can hear the laughter of my children, as long as I have the love of good friends: then my life is rich. What use are material things compared to this? They serve only to clutter one's life and to distract from the true goals and purposes of why we are here.

Find Wisdom. Live compassionately. Love. Share joy.

Peace