Don't run behind money, enjoy the journey

Sumit was new to the city of Pune. He was coming back from his college, and had apparently lost his way. He asked a passerby, “Where is Magarpatta located?”

The passerby said, “Go straight and take a left turn.”

Sumit thanked him and began moving ahead. All of a sudden, he heard the same man shouting from behind- “Please pay me 10 rupees for telling you the directions.”

Sumit was baffled. He had asked many people for directions before, but none of them had charged him any money for that. He immediately fled away. The passerby screamed out a few expletives at him, but Sumit ran towards his home. When he reached home, he narrated this incident to his parents. They found it rather amusing, and so did Sumit. But, he was indeed amazed at the fickle-minded attitude of people. From that day onwards, he decided not to ask people for directions, and instead use Google Maps!

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“Money! Money! Money! It’s a rich man’s world.”

These are the lines of a famous song from ‘ABBA’.

It is indeed true that today’s world is a world of rich people. But, let us look at the word ‘rich’ in a different way. Richness is not only about having lot of wealth, but at the same time it also implies that we must be rich in our value systems.

Recently, we had a debate in our Political Science class. Our teacher asked us- What is more important, earning money or job satisfaction. I have always felt that the latter is much more important than the former. But, surprisingly, I was the only one feeling that job satisfaction is of more significance. I was piqued to find that there were so many kids who felt that the only reason we live is to earn money. They felt that when one earns more money, they automatically feel satisfied. But, I have a different theory. I feel that if we are satisfied doing what we love to do, it will lead to us doing it better. Subsequently, it will also earn us more money. This is my point of view, and opinions might vary. But, I firmly feel that job satisfaction is much more important than generation of wealth. 

The flip side is that there are many noble souls on this earth who provided their services for free. My parents are part of a running group called ‘Free Runners’. The basic motive of this group is to make people fitter and train them to run properly. You don’t have to pay a penny. All you have to do is consistently wake up in the morning, and go for the training. Your regularity is the only payment they need. Isn’t that a wonderful philosophy?

But, that does not mean that everything must be free in this world. Things have to have some value; which is what gives them some utility in the minds of people. We must valuate our products and services; but we must have a philosophy or a value system governing it. The ‘Free Runners’ Group aims at making people more fit by following a scheduled weekly routine. Similarly, every organization or institution in this world must have a governing philosophy.

Life is beautiful, and is meant to be enjoyed. There are so many beautiful things happening in our surroundings. We must also add some value to the society, and must most importantly enjoy the journey!!!!!