How much is too much…?

I was at a lecture that a wonderful professor gave when he said, “The reason you need to make a million dollars is to give it away” ? This struck a chord so deep within me that I had to look further into it because regardless what was said after, I knew this to be right! More than just knowing, I felt it to be right, I felt it in my heart, my being, my soul, if you like.

When I had a conversation with  my brother-in-law, he stated that his Grandmother said it was a sin to have a million dollars! I quickly remembered the lecture and realized that, she too, knew the truth. She knew that the accumulation of things to certain point would start to poison the person (also to mention that the notion of just owning is a form of self attachment). It starts to pervert them mentality, you begin to lose focus of the big picture, of what it is that really gives us joy—which is, giving!!

I feel good when I give things to people. Whether it be advice of something that is material, I feel good when I give, which means for free. Making money with the objective to give to those that really need it is a top priority for me. Making enough to live comfortably is also a goal of mine, but, “How much is too much”? A million, two… a hundred thousand, three hundred thousand?

I ask many people this question and they immediately jump on the unicycle. They back peddle from current answers that they’ve just given me into juggling excuses, while walking the tightrope hoping not to fall right on their face in the midst of not admitting to greed! The whole circus seems to come out — Elephants (in the room), Trapezes artist, the Lion Tamer, The Music and Clowns, oh of course the clowns, so many of them. We laugh and continue the conversation to sometimes break through into new ground that allows us to examine ourselves. It even lets us look into just how big our invisible, but very existent our egos are.

Where is the limit? How much is too much? When do we really lose ourselves? Have we already lost ourselves? And – What can we do about it? These are questions that the selfish are afraid of, the ignorant ignore, and the enlightened adore. Can this journey of giving begin at a point where we already don’t have much? I believe it can, but I still wonder…

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