Why is “Parable of a Rich Fool” so Timeless
Although the title of the story (a Biblical parable and also known as the Parable of the Rich Man) might make many people assume it is just only about the rich people who, like king Midas, think they are smart, but lose their sense of directions and as its corollary also their peace of mind and thus fall under the category of fools, but it would be wrong to assume that. Foolishness is not just the privilege of the few but it is contagious (even a popular way of life) and can affect anyone at any time and poor are no exception. A rich man can be as much a fool as a poor man. If a poor man has no money but is suffering from greed and lust, he is also a fool. However, rich people’s tomfooleries are often more noticeable (or sometimes swept under the carpet) because they are usually also famous and powerful. One visible example can be that of late Italian billionaire media tycoon, comedian (and consequently also a successful politician) and three times former prime minister (1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011) Silvio Berlusconi who was notorious for racism, homophobia, sexism, religious fanaticism and thus believed to have become a cultural and political embarrassment for Italy.
Thus Parable is not about condemnation of rich or money but about our perception about money or in more simple words it is about greed, avarice, and lust and how it potentially affects our relationship with God and His creation. In short, it is more about a mindset than about rich people or their money.
The parable is believed to have been told by prophet Jesus Christ to a person who had asked him (Jesus) to divide the inheritance between him and his brother. In response, Jesus, while cautioning them both, to watch out and be on their guard against all kinds of greed as life does not consist in an abundance of possessions, narrated this story or parable.
Here is one version:
“The land of a certain rich man yielded an plentiful harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’”
“Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’”
“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
What this story teaches us is that this life is not eternal and thus we should not focus all our attention and efforts to amass wealth or material possessions. Or since, as the per words of a sage, we can’t even “add a single hour to his span of life,” amassing huge amounts of wealth is nothing but a foolishness. Even we can’t predict how long we will live as we can die any moment, in spite of all regular medical checkups and health tips.
One example is that of a Michael Jackson, whose postmortem net worth was believed to be $2.4 billion, but he died at the young age of just 51 though he reportedly wanted to live for 150 years. And he died, in spite of reportedly spending US $ 50,000/- per month on prescription drugs like narcotic pain relievers, muscle relaxants and anti-depressants (consuming “mountains of medication”). Moreover, as some reports indicate, while the “Thriller” singer is said to have been a millionaire who lived like a billionaire, he actually died millions of dollars in debt because of his extravagant and luxurious lifestyle. For instance he also used to buy expensive gifts and sometimes bought jewelry as gifts for friends like Elizabeth Taylor, and he even purchased a pet monkey named Bubbles, among other things.
And while the prices he is believed to have paid for certain items aren’t confirmed, it is said that he spent his money on very extravagant — and sometimes unusual — things.
Conclusion:
Money can buy you the matter (gold, diamonds, platinum etc.) but not the spirit.
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References:
i) https://www.thenation.com/article/world/silvio-berlusconi-italy-forza-italia/
ii) https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%2012%3A13-21&version=NIV
iv) https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-jackson-net-worth-debt-spending-2019-8
