She called up crying. I asked her the reason and she said that her brother has invited her after a long time. So what’s the problem? You should be happy with excitement. She had not spoken to her brother in last many years because her husband had developed differences with her brother. She said that she is full of joy but she feels she does not have enough clothes to wear and it is a huge party. Everyone would be wearing expensive clothes and she would not be. What if you would have expensive clothes? She said, I would be holding my head proudly in the party! So you meeting your brother depends on the clothes, you holding your head depends on the clothes rather than who you are? So your love for your brother and who you are has nothing to do in between? Are you going there for your brother and yourself or to exhibit your clothes? So what should I do? I am not saying you should go shabbily. You must dress up, and pick up your best dress but who you are should not depend on that dress. Go there proudly as you are going there to meet your brother after so many years. remember there that you have come here for a purpose not for clothes. She agreed to smile and go and she was greeted well by her brother. When they hugged each other, it did not matter who was wearing what. It was an over flow of love. She came back and she had tears of joy and love in her eyes. She called up again and said that though it was not easy for her but after this party, she feels much richer inside. She feels like her life has given her so much more in that one day and that came because she could share love with her brother after so many years. She accepted, that because she had many financial problems in last many years, she had taken it on her ego and she could never accept the fact that they have financial problems and to hide that she had created so many problems for herself, like sometimes spending more than she could, sometimes she had lied and many things like that. But no more, she would accept who she is, and she would define herself with what she does rather than what she has.
She as true, most of us attach money with ego and and that starts defining us. In the middle of the crowd, we start telling ourselves who we are by what clothes we are wearing, which car we are driving, where we are living and this leads to lots of comparison. because ego feeds on comparison. We compare and we try to prove I am better than you because I am driving better car, I am wearing better clothes or a brand or I am living in a better house. But in reality, we forget who we are and we lose the most precious part of self that is who we are which is defined by love. How much love we hold in our hearts, how much we share, what we do, how much we have been able to create for others and self in terms of love. If someone has a huge car but he has no heart to share his money with someone in need, then he may be happy in his comparison, but what right he has over others to prove that he is better than them? He is better in his own reign that’s it!
Don’t attach money with ego, accept who you are, define yourself, don’t let money define you. define yourself with your Karma and your heart because that is the most special thing about you. Don’t lose that special thing for something which is common to all.
