“Money is just a piece of paper “.
That is an often overused quip…I think it falls in the category of “comfort quotes” or “denial quotes” which we use generously when things don’t go our way. If it was just a piece of paper it wouldn’t have caused deaths, wars and hate in this world.
Few incidents over the past few months made me rethink about money…how the seemingly “trivial piece of paper” influence me.
Everyone spends money for themselves...for parents...to build up savings... donate to charities…pay up taxes. These happen on a regular basis and become routine affairs for most of us. But then we spend money once in a while for reasons intentional or un-intentional, reasons unplanned for!
The incident that triggered me to think about it was a mail from a friend of mine asking me to lend money…Quite a huge amount and apparently wouldn’t pay me back until he finished his studies...He is a friend whom I got to interact with for 8-9 months occasionally over a beer and was more like a acquaintance of a much closer college buddy…No reasons not to lend money till now..
He needs the money because he was suspended from his hostel for boozing in his room against college rules. And the fact that he is not exactly like one of my closest buddies and an imaginary image of a bad track record was creating a mental block about lending him the money. It is all imaginary questions haunting me like why is he not asking some of his closer buddies and rather asking an acquaintance. On the other hand if he thought I was someone whom he could count on for help, it would have been selfish of me in letting him down. I am someone who believes that every man is inherently good and I hope is the same with him. Inspite of not being fully willing about the whole lending thing, I am sending him the money based on my faith in the goodness of a person.
That is an often overused quip…I think it falls in the category of “comfort quotes” or “denial quotes” which we use generously when things don’t go our way. If it was just a piece of paper it wouldn’t have caused deaths, wars and hate in this world.
Few incidents over the past few months made me rethink about money…how the seemingly “trivial piece of paper” influence me.
Everyone spends money for themselves...for parents...to build up savings... donate to charities…pay up taxes. These happen on a regular basis and become routine affairs for most of us. But then we spend money once in a while for reasons intentional or un-intentional, reasons unplanned for!
The incident that triggered me to think about it was a mail from a friend of mine asking me to lend money…Quite a huge amount and apparently wouldn’t pay me back until he finished his studies...He is a friend whom I got to interact with for 8-9 months occasionally over a beer and was more like a acquaintance of a much closer college buddy…No reasons not to lend money till now..
He needs the money because he was suspended from his hostel for boozing in his room against college rules. And the fact that he is not exactly like one of my closest buddies and an imaginary image of a bad track record was creating a mental block about lending him the money. It is all imaginary questions haunting me like why is he not asking some of his closer buddies and rather asking an acquaintance. On the other hand if he thought I was someone whom he could count on for help, it would have been selfish of me in letting him down. I am someone who believes that every man is inherently good and I hope is the same with him. Inspite of not being fully willing about the whole lending thing, I am sending him the money based on my faith in the goodness of a person.
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I have two cousin sisters… They we sort of the real life dolls for older cousins including me when we were kids…basically we loved them to bits and enjoyed being the big bro.
From mom I knew that they had a kudukka (piggy bank), which they diligently filled for a big reason. They wanted to buy a computer.
Sometime back the Kudukka was full, and they had to break it open and counted patiently the 1000 bucks....mm…PC’s are still not that dirt cheap!!
My younger cousin sis Tessa has a speech disability (she is getting better by the day though)... Though they are big brats at home ,I love how her protective sister tries to shield her from girl bullies in school who might be making fun of her…I feel at home staying with them during my trips to Bangalore ..It’s a small happy family along with my grandmother...After thinking about the Kudukka story; I told home that I wanted to buy a PC for them. I was so glad that dad did not think I was spending money heedlessly…
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Five months ago, I was travelling late in a metro. New years eve…and around 12:30 am…the coach was almost empty…Just an old man with a trolley pushing around and taking empty beer bottles from the trash cans so that he could sell them off next morning. I think I get easily moved by such sights...Instinctive it was when I dug 50 euro’s from my pocket and gave it to him while my station approached…I wanted to give him that money because I was just on the way back from a amazing Christmas vacation myself and found it ironic that everyone in the world doesn’t have a vacation...He declined to accept at first…But I told him it was a new year gift which he couldn’t deny and to go spend the night at home with loved ones ... I haven’t told about this to anyone till now…But later when I thought about it , I was wondering how I never felt a loss while giving away 50 euro’s just like that, which was quite a decent amount …Literally I didn’t feel my wallet go lighter!
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You must be wondering why I have mentioned the three incidents…
All the three incidents had just one thing in common…
I was spending money.
But the emotional balance receipt in all three cases felt different!!
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