I get the impression sometimes this is hard-wired into the fabric of modern Western society.
It is subtle and it is almost established as something reasonable to have as something to achieve in life.
That which I speak of is the importance of chasing riches.
How it’s hard-wired into mainstream thinking is the thought that you are born to get an education to get a job to get money to get stuff then you work more to get more stuff then you retire with more money to get you more stuff then you die with hopefully enough money for those that come after you to bury you.
Success is defined by your ability to get the money to get the stuff. Reaching a higher class is reflected in your capacity to get more stuff. It is the desire of the parent to see the children gain a greater income-generating bracket so as to exceed them. Everything in life is geared that way as the thinking is money makes the world go around.
Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle. (Proverbs 23:4, 5)
The foolishness in chasing after riches is desperately looking for something that just won’t last. Having spent so much effort and ingenuity looking to get it, you discover it was a waste of time. It does not give you the things that really matter.
Today, the larger picture is that the standards of living we set for ourselves are significantly based on owning material goods that actually do little to define our actual standard of living. The values and qualities that really make life worth living and bring the greatest amount of satisfaction has nothing to do with the accumulation of riches or material goods.
Wisdom doesn’t deny material wealth in the world. It doesn’t see riches as an evil. It just knows that making it a priority that demands your brain and heart is an investment in futility.
Sadly such a futile venture drives advertising and commercial interests. Such futile ventures are implicitly seen in how we construct society and what we suggest really matters.
Thankfully there is a choice. There is a way to hold things in their proper perspective so we don’t waste our lives chasing after the things that will soon fly away of the wings of time.
Pursuing the path of wisdom helps.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 