By The Qoheleth
I don’t pray to be excessively rich because I noticed that many of those who are excessively rich are praying to be like me. To be excessively rich is to have more money than you require. It is to acquire much more to cover the basic needs of life; shelter, clothing and food. You are excessively rich when you have more shelter than you and your family will not use, when you have much more food than your family will need in the next 30 years and to have sets of clothes you may not need. An average lifespan for man is 70 and 80 for those who are strong. Wealth could be gotten from work, business, inheritance and gift. However, many go to an extent of killing, destroying and blackmailing people in order to be rich. And when they become rich, they would not know what to do with such wealth.
Poverty on the other hand is basically the absence of food, cloth and shelter. You may think that acquiring excessive wealth is good but on close examination, it is foolishness. Wealth is not usually parallel to poverty. They can be interpreted in different contexts. One can be rich in wisdom, health, love, intelligence but has no financial wealth. One can also be poor in these areas but has excessive financial wealth. If you wish to observe the foolishness of excessive wealth, look back at the current value of the property you acquired a decade ago. Check if things that last much longer were acquired with money.
One of the greatest challenges we have in Nigeria today is the worship of money. Money has become a god to so many people. They pray to it, invoke it and serve it because they think it gives and provides all needs and wants. Those who worship money make such remarks as; “Money is everything,” Without money, hide your face,” Money solves all problems, “Poverty is a curse.” etc. In order to worship money therefore these set of people kill, extort, join evil societies and cults, betray, sell their souls, deceive, sell their bodies and commit heinous crimes. Despite these, a lot of people are attracted to excessive wealth, not to overcome nakedness, hunger and homelessness but for greed and selfishness.
If eventually they acquire this money and wealth, they use it to oppress others instead of assisting them. They build magnificent houses they do not need. They purchase many luxury cars they won’t use. They acquire so many expensive clothe, shoes, wristwatches, phones they do not actually need. They live false lives and hide their real identities under money. They buy power in order to use it to enslave and destroy the weak.
Despite the mass desire to acquire excess money and wealth, it has shown not to provide all the needs of man. Money, which many worship as god cannot always provide happiness, joy and peace. It does not give absolute protection. It gives you false hope of living in paradise where death does not exist. It makes you feel you’d not die (it has not saved anyone from death). The more these people acquire more money, the more the desire to have more out of greed. Money is insatiable.
Many of those who worship money are greedy and selfish. They always want everything for themselves. They entice others with it to make them feel they are better. But they are not. They usually feel that sharing such excessive wealth with others would reduce their social and financial status. Giving will rather raise you to greater heights. Lighting another candle does not stop yours from glowing. Excessive wealth creates fear of failure. It creates a kind of inferiority complex among many of them which makes them think that without it they will have no voice. But acquire love, wisdom and knowledge, and with these you’d be confident to conquer the world.
Most of them are restless, insecure and do not have the kind of freedom, happiness and peace you have. Excessive money makes people lazy and arrogant that they want others to do almost everything for them. Many of them suffer all kinds of ailments because they subject themselves to false lifestyles. Once they acquire excessive wealth, they become greedier, selfish and create false omniscient. They are always filled with worry and fear. Don’t always pray to be excessively rich. Those who are excessively rich are secretly praying to be like you.
