When Wealth is Lost, Nothing is Lost-Daily Meditation 12.19.23

Today’s quotation:

When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.-German motto

Today’s Meditation:

Oh, the things that we value!  How many people do you know who put their highest priorities on their wealth, whatever form it may take, rather than their character?  Many people in this world think that losing their collections of something or another would devastate them and turn them into something less than they are, so they protect them at all costs.  They identify with their wealth, whether in the form of money, baseball cards, or DVDs.

But when all is said and done, it all comes down to who we are inside.  I like to think of how I would react if our house were to burn down and leave nothing to salvage.   I think my response would be much like Emerson’s when his house burned down–he told a friend that the flames were quite beautiful and they should enjoy them while they were there.  He was aware that all of his writings that were in the process of being lost, all of the work he had put into creating them, meant very little at the moment.  What mattered was who he was as a human being.  For the most part, the rest could be replaced, but his own self could not be.

I also think sometimes of what life would be like if I were to have an accident that left me paralyzed, such as what happened to Christopher Reeve.  How would I respond, especially in the long term?  Would I still feel balanced?  Would I still love life every day?  I can’t know, of course, but I do know that I do my best to spend more time developing myself than trying to amass wealth of any material sort.  I also do my best to maintain my health, for much of my character develops from how I treat myself, and I want to treat my body with dignity and respect.

Questions to consider:

How would you react if your house burned down and left nothing?

How can we distinguish our character from other parts of ourselves? Do you treat yourself with dignity and respect?

How will your character grow if you don’t?

For further thought:

Material possessions will rust away, wear away, or depreciate, but your inner resources–character–must never depreciate.  In seeking success, you must also seek fulfillment.  Ask yourself what you want to be and who you want to be. -Elizabeth Dole

If you missed our last Daily Meditation, it is here.