Berkat Makes The World Go Round

--------------------CnR---------------------

A young man once set out to visit a great sage in the town of Mezritch. When he arrived, he asked where to find the man, and was shown to a tiny, decrepit shack at the edge of town. Inside, there was nothing but a broken-down bed and a table full of books, where an old man was studying.
    “Where does the sage live?” he asked the old man.The young man was puzzled.

    “It is I,’’ said the old man. “What is disturbing you so?”
    “I don’t understand. You are a great sage, with so many disciples that your name is known all across the country. It doesn’t seem fitting that you should be living in a room like this. You should be living in a palace.”

    “Where do you live?” the old man asked.
    “I live in a palace, a grand home with magnificent furnishings.”

The young man explained that he was a businessman, traveling twice a year to a large city to buy materials that he brought back and sold to local merchants. The sage asked him where he stayed when he was in the city.

      “I stay in a small room in a small hotel,” he answered.The sage inquires the young man,

     “If someone were to walk into that small room, might they not say,

     ‘Why are you, a wealthy businessman, living in such a small room?’ And you would say, ‘I am only on the road for a short time, so this is all I need. Come to my real home, and you will see that it is entirely different.’

“My friend, the same is here,” the old man continued. “I am also only on the road. This material world is just a road. In my home, too, it is very different. Come to my spiritual home, and you will see that I live in a palace.”

 

(Story taken from Mitzvot charity)

------------------------------CnR--------------------------------

Most people measure their accomplishments by their bank account. The bigger it is, the better they feel about themselves. Because we put so much energy into earning money, it represents the very energy of life as we see it. 

Some people feel that they and they alone are responsible for their success, that their intelligence and abilities made it so. This is the serious challenge of wealth to not be deceived by your own ego but to remember that it is Allah who gives us the power to become prosperous.

This is not to say that your success is not a result of your efforts. And you must do everything possible to ensure success, not just sit back and wait for money to come your way. But you must acknowledge that it is Allah’s blessing, and not your effort alone, that creates wealth. There is a saying that goes,

Air tidak membasahkan

 tetapi Allah yang

 membasahkan di sisi 

sebab air

Api tidak memanaskan

 tetapi Allah yang

 memanaskan di sisi 

sebab api

(sorry I  preached too long, I can't help it)

Is money a blessing or a curse? 

In my opinion it depends on the person. Honestly I am not good with money. Money talks but mine says 'spend me'. Ibu told me years ago that my brother will be more richer than me. She was right. Because I tend to have the sikap 'tak apelah' when I am spending on things and when someone borrows from me.

 I got that behavior from abah. He doesn't even care about money. Not that  he is reckless and financially illiterate. He teaches physics and most of his money was spent for his class and his students. Once I asked Abah about what will he get for wasting money on his students (I believe that students should print out their own lecture notes and give some money to their teachers instead, 'belanja minum').

He says that he will be very happy if his students understands what they learn from his class. And afterwards apply the knowledge and contribute to the community. That is his satisfaction. Someday I want to be like him. 

I will be tempted to 'belanja' my students just to make them go to my class (Abah did not do this to. It is just my own method of approaching students).

I guess with an ambition like this, I'll never be rich:/ 

Joke of this week (has nothing to do with this post, just random);

Most men are brainless, so you might have to try more than once to find a live one