Live Like We're Dying

Here is a story I got from an email just a few days ago:

There was once a charismatic and capable general who served the Emperor of China. One day, the Emperor made a deal with the general. The Emperor said, "If you can ride on your horse and cover as much lands as you like, I will give you all the lands you have covered".

So the general rode off as quickly as possible the next day to venture out to as many lands as possible. He kept on riding he wanted to cover as much lands as possible. He did not stop at all for a proper meal or to get some rest for fear of not having enough time to cover the lands.

He soon managed to cover great amounts of land but he was exhausted and suffered from starvation problems. When he was finally rewarded the lands covered by the Emperor, he was sick due to the lack of food and rest to the point where he was on his deathbed.

At that point, he thought to himself, "Why did I tire myself over this deal? After all, I do not need this much land to bury myself decently..."

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This is one the emails that really caught my attention. It is epitome of human greed and our never ending dissatisfaction on life. Some of us keep working so hard, saving up all the money without reaping any benefits out of it because we often take for granted that we will live to see the next day and that we can "enjoy later". To some, "later" never seems to come.

Some of us work so hard that we forgot to contact our family and friends, thinking that human contact is not important as it does not gives us monetary benefits. We cut our sleep at night and miss proper meals in order to have more time to make more money. It is also ironic that very wealthy people still feel unsatisfied with their wealth and still work their butts off. Their excuse? To be EVEN RICHER. -.-

But at the end of the day, if we don't live to enjoy the money, what's the point? Or at the end of the day, you realize that at the end of the day, you die alone and your only companion is a lifeless stash of money?Or when you feel all the money in the world cannot give you the same happiness as friends and family does?

After all, money does not remember you after your death, it just gets a new owner and forgets completely about you. But when a love one passed away, he or she will always be remembered by their friends or family.

I am not saying that one can live on just rain, sunshine and love as that would be very unrealistic. Money is important, but it is not the most important thing in the world. It is not unethical or immoral to have the need to chase for a more comfortable life, but there has to be a tipping point. We should NOT risk everything we have just for money.

BALANCE is the key here. So if you felt that you have been working or studying too hard lately to a point where you forgot about your friends and family, do make it a point to call them or talk to them for just 20 minutes. Or, if you have been pretty stressed out lately, take a short break and do something you love. I should take note of the latter point too. =)

Hey but don't take it as an excuse to overindulge yourselves. Esther shall not be responsible if that happens =P