You can never get enough of what you don’t really need. —Eric Hoffer
This quote sums up lots of the issues that we human beings suffer from.
- How many of us really need a house with so many rooms that no one uses?
- How many people do we see who buy car after a car just because they have the money for it, not the need?
- How many of us want the luxuries just so others can envy us?
Sadly no one has the answer to the questions above, because in one way or the other we are all tangled in this web of “showing off”. Even if someone says they need what they have, they will still go for more if they got the chance.
I recall an incident I read about a centuries back, which relates to the time after Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). It was when Hazrat Umar RA a caliph appointed a trusted companion to become the guardian of a city, in other words a Prime Minister type of position. The person refused to be paid a huge salary. He said that this money is the root of evil, and no matter what one says, I won’t allow evil in my life. He then cut his salary to the amount that a person selling fruits on the road took and said, if he can manage in that pay so can I.
Amazing character these people had. And look at us today, we want everything, and in the long run end up not having any peace of mind.