Wealth: (That’s What I Want?)

The title of this essay isn’t a declaration—it’s an inquiry.

If asked, what is true wealth? what would we say? Money? Fame? Respect? Power? Freedom? Health?

Wealth means different things to different people. It’s deeply personal. There is no single, correct answer.

For many, wealth simply means money. But not everyone can—or will—be wealthy in that way. Food and water are basic necessities; life doesn’t go well without them. We must nourish our bodies wisely. But even here, obsession creeps in.

The starving beggar and the overeater of exquisite cuisine share the same predicament. The desert nomad and the connoisseur alcoholic share the same predicament. Both are trapped in desire.

No food—whether from a humble street stall or the finest restaurant—creates wholeness. No drink—whether from an office water cooler or a famed spring—creates completeness.

Look closely: we often eat beyond hunger, or drink beyond thirst, to suppress feelings of emptiness. The same is true of money. We pursue it not for its own sake, but for the promise that it will fill the void.

If having money in the bank ever transformed the experience of being unfulfilled into an experience of being fulfilled, genuinely contented, and happy in a way that led us to make a difference, then every wealthy person would already be fulfilled.

Throughout this inquiry, we see again and again, who we are is not our wealth deposits. We are who we are, and our bank balance is our bank balance. Yes, in today’s world, managing our finances is a responsibility. But so too is recognizing the difference between money and the meaning we attach to it.

We’ll forget who we really are from time to time. As soon as we realize we’ve forgotten, we get it again. As soon as we get that, we don’t get it—we got it again.

So what do we really want? Not more exquisite food, but nourishment. Not fine wine, but thirst quenched. Not piles of money, but viability and freedom to live, serve, and create.

The creation of our experience of our own completion and our own fulfillment is our responsibility and our responsibility alone. It doesn’t depend on or requires money/wealth.