Madras, 22nd May 1995
INTRODUCTION
Look around us, people are busily engaged in many things; serious, silly or sincere; inducing a spurt of smile or laughter; of fun, scorn or sympathy; on our lips. You and me are no exception. We too contribute to others fancy.
"Of God's creations, only man can laugh
For, to be laughed at, he does lot enough"
Laughing at others, we should also be bold to direct the very scorn at ourselves. But many of us simply won't or refuse to in the belief that each one of us is an exception. Laughter is a good medicine and, coming out of the hermit shell, we should learn to laugh at all laughable actions of the self and others. Man is sincere to and concerned only about himself. In his frenzy to own all the comforts and happiness of the world, he forgets his roots, tradition, nobility, culture and obligations towards the society, rendering his every action a ludicrous one.
"Man invented money for trading;
But, on man, money is now treading"
Money has become everything to man and he is today and addict to it. His prayers, religious rites and marital, paternal, filial and fraternal relationships are guided by the quantum of money inflow. Here, in this era, man would do anything for handful of money because money is power.
Man derives all pleasures, respect, opportunities, and even a ticket to contest elections as candidate of a popular political party, get through it and reach positions on the top rung of political ladder by mere might of money. When the moneyed scoop all the fortunes on earth, the poor can only gaze agape at them, with a sigh.
The moneyed may be able to buy everything on earth, but not love. To exploit and live under his opulence, even distant relations and kith around him will pretend to love him. He will live in a fool's paradise believing that all of them really care for him, until the day his last pie is drained off and the love, sincerity and the loyalty of this so-called kith and kin are put to the acid test.
Even after knowing the occult deceptive function of it, man stakes his life in the grand race for money. Blinded by the spell of its tinkle, money becomes everything for him. He plunges into all sorts of malpractice to earn money and to create a comfortable cushion of savings.