Is Luxury Justified

Is luxury Justified ?​

DNA had this lovely article, called Giving away one end of the Candle. Read it here
Giving Away One End of the Candle | Davetopia

the blogger called Higgins says this “ is it immoral to spend some of yr earnings on yr own comfort , when many are dieing of poverty and starvation. When a cup of coffe at Barista, can feed a family for a day or more. Kindly read this article , pretty interesting and surely going to make yr grey cells tick.

There are two kinds of people, one who were like Mahatma Gandhi, who lived with basic necessities, and helped others, who were lower than him financially. And there are the other lot, some who party a lot, some who buy bags worth a few lakhs, and there are many who have fancy cars, fancy homes and all that.

The question here is, for the rich person living in luxury – is luxury justified ? You have a maid and other helpers say at home, who work for a pittinace, whose children may not go to schools, but your kids go to schools that cost a few lakhs in fees every year,the maid has a small house where 10 people sleep in one small room, with just a fan, and in yr home, u sleep in the Airconditioner. The question is, is it fair, and is it justified ? this is what the author is trying to ask the question.

I thought this over tea, how unfair life is really,we have been given the same number of fingers and eyes and toes, but different fortunes and destiny. What about me, and what about my luxuries, went the thought. Well, as I am growing older, I am getting used to more luxuries, and loving it. I love AC in the night, cant sleep without it. I love the new Samsung Grand mobile which my brother gifted me last month ( God bless him), after nagging me to buy a better mobile than the nokia that I have, for which I wont even get 200 bucks now. And then he downloaded Whats Appl and now I send and receive jokes and clips, and life could not have been more wonderful.

I too have a maid working at home, plus brother has many a staff working in the office. He sits in his AC cabin, and they in the fan, in the 40 degree heat. He has cold chilled water, and they the ordinary matka water. But both coexist well.

Do I feel guilty about being well off, than the many others around me ? that the increase in the petrol price does not make me blink, nor the increase in the veggies and fruit prices, or the electricity bill? Nope, not at all.

My justification for this line of thinking ? Well, here it goes.

There was a time I was broke, but no one came to help me, and neither I was looking for charity, I lived within my means. So many rich friends, who were in the same line, never ever showed me the way to make more money, to educate me, but I don’t hold it against them really. Its OK.

Then when the Goddess of Wealth was happy with me, I still stayed within my means, for it was magic that was happening, for I was the same hardworking chap, working same hours, now making a 100 times more than before, I was baffled. It rained money, exports being tax free then, and export incentives excellent, and profits on goods damn good, it was too good to be true.

What would most have done in my shoes ? They would have decorated the home, with new paint and furniture, a new car, taken family abroad for holiday, a cruise etc, fancy clothes and watches, and jewellery etc. Well I did not of the above, just kept the money in the FD’s in nationalized banks, and had a thought that this is a mirage I am seeing, it may disappear soon, which turned out to be right, and it soon stopped after a few years.

But by then , Goddess Lakshmi had watered the parched bank accounts of mine, and sure money went in, and it grew. And I did not spend it as it came, meant that money doubled in 6/7 years in the banks, and that interest was good enough for me to spend later.

I allowed the chicken to lay eggs, I did not eat the chicken then and there. And I had the patience for the eggs to be hatched into chickens, and then they too laid their eggs. For every lakh that I saved and invested in the bank, after seven years I had the lakh back and a lakh as interest, so I spent the lakh of interest, I did not touch the original principal. Now the principal is intact I am enjoying the interest after taxes.

When we worked then, at times we used to work Sundays, at times till midnight when the shipment was to be packed and sent the next day, it sure was hard work. And there was no overtime, for I was the boss. Wife also worked that hard with me.

Now should I feel guilty about the luxuries I am enjoying , when many others are reeling under the inflation effect ? Nope. I am enjoying the prudence I showed when money came in, I saved it, and am just spending the interest that was earned over the years. I had a cancer operation, chemo, treatment,and that too cost a lot of money, but it was prudence that made it comfortable for me to get into a good hospital, paid thru my nose, and got well. I followed the saying, work like a donkey, live like a king !

Like all of u, I too see poverty , and disease around me, and we do what we can to some that we know. But we cannot remove poverty totally. We see the problems of the poor, but are they ready to listen to the remedy of ours ? That is to stop producing more children, to work harder, to not have shame in work, like they will immediately say, this is not my job, if the boss just says, that the tea has spilled on the floor, pls mop it, this is the reply given. The boss has no choice but to do it himself.

In my office, we have 3 toilets upstairs, two for staff and one for me and brother and bhabhi. The sweeper has disappeared for months now, the bathrooms are dirty, I clean my own bathroom, I get down on my knees and mop it up, and clean the kamot and the wash basin with soap, and it sparkles, it takes about 20 mins or so. But my staff , even though they use it, refuse to clean it, and want someone else to come and do it. They have their pride, u see.

So I don’t feel sorry for them at all, nor feel guilty for my comforts. They will remain where they are, for they are ashamed of some types of work, for me, I am not ashamed, I will do anything, which others may consider demeaning, like cleaning of bathrooms, which abroad is fine, for u have no help, but in india , it is not done.

The poverty and sickness is not my doing, I have not eaten anyone’s money, I have worked hard for my money, and slogged it out, and everyone who makes good decent honest money, knows the long hours and stress that goes with the job. So guys and gals , don’t feel bad or guilty, just have a ball, the money is all yours, u deserve the comfort of all that money that has come to u.

Relax friends.

KAMAL MAHTANI

An attractive woman on a flight asked the priest sitting besides her “ Father may I ask a favor ?”
Of course my child, what can I do for u ?
Well I bought my mother an expensive hair dyer for her birthday. It is unopened but well over the customs limit and I am afraid they will confiscate it. Is there anyway u could carry it through the customs for me? Hide it under your robes for example ?
I would love to help u, dear, but I must warn u, I will not lie.
With your face, father, no one will question you !!!

When they got to customs, she let the father go first.
The customs official asked the father – “ Father , do u have anything to declare “?
Father – From the top of my head till my waist, I have nothing to declare !
The official thought this answer to be very strange, so asked – “And what do u have to declare from the waist down to the floor ?”
Father – I have a marvelous instrument designed to be used on women, but which, to date, is unused
Roaring with laughter, the official said – Go ahead father, Next !!!!!!!!!



Police knocked on the door of a woman and said “ please open the door, your husband has met with an accident, and he has become as think as a papad.
Woman – if he is like a papad, why should I open the door, slide him from under the door !!!!!!



A bus full of housewives fell in a gorge and all were killed.
All the husbands were seen weeping for a week.
One chap was seen weeping for a fortnight. When asked why, he said “ My wife missed the bus “ !!!!!



A stranger knocks on a door , and a small boy comes out, the strangers asks for a glass of water.
The boy says “ instead of water, will u drink Lassi ?
Stranger – Then it is all the more better.
The boy brought a huge mug of lassi, and the man being very thirsty , finished the whole jug.
Stranger – Does no one drink lassi in this house ?
Boy – yes we all drink lassi, but last night we noticed that a rat had fallen in the lassi and died, as we were about to throw away the lassi, u came along, so we offered to u !
The stranger angrily threw down the glass on the floor , breaking the glass.
The boy started to cry, and told the stranger – You broke the glass, now what will we take to the toilet to clean our backsides ?
The stranger fainted !!!!!!!



Arz kiya hai,

Baithkar mehbooba ki bahomn mein as JOSH aaya,
Biwi ne dekh liya, aur ICU mein HOSH aya !!!!!



Do u know why the language we speak at home is called Mother’s Tongue, and not father Tongue ?

Because fathers are not allowed to sepak at home !!!!!!



A woman with two kids was marrying for the third time with a widower.
While the pheras were taking place , the kid started to cry.
Mother gets angry and tells the kid
“ if u don’t stop crying, next time I will not call u to the wedding”
Groom faints !!!!!!



Classic Insult
A boy posted a picture on Facebook, with him holding his pet dog
His girlfriend commented “ Which one is u ?
The boy replied “ The one holding you





Since I cannot force them to clean their own toilet, I keep quiet. And then I don’t feel sorry for their everyday plight too, I just pay them what is due. And when they need advances for something, we just flatly refuse, for we too are not bound to do them favors are we?

So I don’t look o ut of my ivory tower much, I mind my own business, I don’t go out of my may to help others, nor do I advise others much, for I have come to realize that people don’t want my advise, they want my money, and I am not keen to part with it. As someone told me recently, do u think u will take it with u to heaven/hell, and I just laughed, and said I will let the rats eat them, but I wont let u touch my money.

And this article has made me resolved, that don’t fele guilty kamal, u deserve everybit of what u want, don’t bother about others, u have not cheated them, the government is there for them, giving them doles in the form of subsidies for gas, cheap wheat, etc.

 

Dear GG,

Yes correct, we are not made out to be saints.HAHA.Even Mother Teressa needed to fly first class, so i hear, and that is donation money, so why not enjoy with our own hard earned after tax money eh !Carity if we can do fine, if not , its ok.

HAHA. Dont worry, even god cannot change me, he will go mad with me.HAHA

Regards

kamal

 

Dear Satchi,

Their lands in their home towns are worth a fortiune these days, and they have bighas now, meaning a bigha is some 3000 yards, that is 30,000 sq feet. These maids etc they borrow, they splurge on festivals, and then when the time comes to get it cut from their salaries, they start misbehaving.As u said it is a facade, and they want to live above their means.

i have already lost sympathy for them, i live in my world, i pay them their salary, simple and nothing beyond.They just dont deserve our grace.

Regards

kamal