Al-Madina ONCE upon a time a trader gave a wise advice to a young man. He said: "I have spent my beautiful and valuable years of my life developing my business activities like you do now. When I became old I realized that I have lost many things which cannot be compensated. From this I have learned a valuable lesson and you can call it as an elderly man's wisdom." He continued: "A man's life passes through three stages and he needs to posses three things. During the stage of youth you will have enough time because you would not be busy doing so many things. You will have enthusiasm and the power to enjoy life. At the same time, you will not have enough money to travel and purchase a car or build a house you like and have a well-off life. After some years you move to the phase of manhood and engage in profitable businesses or high salaried jobs and you start amassing wealth to have "a bright future" for you and your family. You make money and you will be very active and powerful in this stage. At the same time, you will not have time to enjoy and to have a well-off life with your family because you will be busy with your businesses and travels. You find yourself sacrificing many things to ensure "a bright future." In the third phase when you become old, you will have amassed adequate amount of money you want and you will have time to enjoy it and achieve what you have dreamt of, but you realize that you have lost your health and your youthfulness and you cannot travel like before. Moreover, you don't find any enjoyment in purchasing luxurious cars or having a big house. The elderly trader added: "You will be looking for your sons and daughters in order to find enjoyment in traveling with them or sitting and talking with them. You realize that your children have grown up and are busy with their own jobs and activities and would not have time to spare with you. Every one of them is busy in his/her world." You will not find even colleagues and friends to meet and spend time with them because you cut relations with them when you were busy with your business ventures. Suddenly you realize that money would not bring your good old days when your children wished that you had spent at least one hour with them and you partake in trips with them or travel with them to a nearby country. You also understand that money would not bring back your health after you have been badly hit by diabetes and high blood pressure and you are no more a healthy and powerful person. So my dear son, I have learned a big lesson from the experience of my life and I would like to tell you the same as an advice. A few thousands of riyals which you enjoy now with your children and wife during your youth with satisfaction is better for you than hundreds of thousands of riyals and even millions of riyals which you gain when you become old like me. This is a beautiful story and I believe it gives an important lesson to many of our young men and women today. The bottom line is that your efforts focusing on amassing wealth would not bring happiness to your life. Rather, be satisfied with a good and decent life, even if it's simple but meets your needs. Satisfaction with little that lasts is better than the huge wealth that does not last.
