Greed And Wealth

Q: Why are we so greedy that even rich people sometimes steal from others, as seems to be the case on a very large scale at the moment?

MM: Because inside, we are so poor. The richer we get, the poorer we get. Rich means that we have a lot of things and a lot of money to buy more things, all in hopes for happiness. Then we keep busy selling the things we tire of and buying new things to please ourselves. This can go on forever if we don't realize the true nature of happiness, which is an inner wealth.

Wealth is when someone has enough. This can happen to a rich person or a to a very poor person. It is an inner event rather than an outer event. Life may not be fair, but wealth is fair. It is available to everyone, equally and at all times.

"Not having enough" often leads to hoarding or even stealing, by both the poor and even the very rich. "Having enough", on the other hand, leads to peace and to giving, by both the poor and the rich. This giving can be an outer or an inner event, or both.

Peace Pilgrim is one such person, who owned nothing but the clothes on her back, and did without food until it was offered to her. She felt free and rich. She was a normal, material housewife before she "woke up" to her inner wealth. After that, she gave and gave of herself even though she had nothing physical to give to anyone. Jesus and Buddha of course are clear examples, as are hundreds of other such people, but we often think they are so great that we can never reach such inner wealth. This is just not so. It is already there - we have just forgotten how to draw on it.