One of my friends who works in the film industry told me a curious story of his life. At the age of seventeen, he had an ambition to buy a BMW car. He was dreaming about it continuously for more than twenty years; slowly, it became a mental addiction. He told his friends about it, and they mocked him. His nickname was BMW. At the age of 23, he got a job in the IT industry with a satisfactory payment. He immediately took out a loan to buy a BMW car. He achieved his ambition, and everyone appreciated him. He traveled to his native place in that car and celebrated the new luxury.
But slowly the real problems started. The monthly payment for the car accounts for nearly 70% of his income. He has to spend more on fuel for the car. The car’s maintenance expenses were substantial. The insurance premium is also very high. Once, a biker smashed the aisle of his car, and the cost of repairing it was beyond his means. He didn’t claim insurance because it would raise his monthly premium.
After a year, his entire life came to an abrupt end. His debts escalated, he struggled to focus on his work, and he found himself without any entertainment, happiness, or mental peace. Now everything became a silly dream. The car was there before his rented house; he could not go near it. It seemed like a demon; he was practically afraid of it.
One day he had a nightmare; it was that the car automatically entered into his house and killed him. He woke up with a shiver, immediately realizing that it was a warning from his subconscious. He settled everything immediately. Within two months, he borrowed some money, settled the debt on the car, and immediately sold it. The day his car was taken from him was a day of freedom for him. He cried in relief and celebrated that day with ice cream.
Relinquishing that car was a start. He discovered that he could let go of many other things. He didn’t need to purchase expensive clothing, nor did he need to frequent expensive hotels and parties. He needs only a small apartment. He can cook his meals. He changed step by step. He dropped the life of a ‘high-paid techie’ and became an ordinary man. All of them were actually some kind of farce stage play he was playing, and he felt he was not an actor anymore but a lister. He felt a sense of empathy for others and occasionally started laughing at them. They banished him from their inner circles, and it was actually very comfortable for him; he mentally banished them beforehand.
Once he found solitude and simplicity, he was able to focus more intensely on his work. For the first time in his life, he started to enjoy the fun of technology. He found the ‘challenge and satisfaction’ of solving problems. He became an expert in the field and received continuous promotions. Now his oddness was considered a quality of genius. It was celebrated. He always drinks black tea without sugar. He always wears simple jeans and a cotton shirt. He drives a bicycle from his moderate dwelling to his office. Everything was admired and honored.
Then he became bored with technology. He wanted to incorporate an element of art into the technology. He said to me that the end of technology is the starting point of art. He shifted to film technology. With enough money to last for many years, he began to master film graphics. Within a year, he swept into the film industry and rose to prominence. He still lives like an eccentric and works like a genius.
He has no car now. He always uses a taxi. “I don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot,” he told me. “If possible, I travel with other people; it is cheaper and saves resources of the earth.”
He is earning millions. “What are you doing with this money?” I asked.
“I am buying my free time and travels with money. I used to stay in the Himalayas and Northern Europe for many months every year. Now I have substantial financial reserve, which means I am not under any obligation to work. I am doing my work with enjoyment and never accept a job without real fun,” he said.
“I understood the real worth of money; that is the secret of my happiness,” he said. “Millions of people are running behind money. From milliners to ordinary men. They don’t know the meaning of money. Some imagine it as luxury and status, some as power. They spend money according to the design of society. They earn and spend money to attract the attention of others. Others shouldn’t determine what money means to us. We have to decide. For me, money serves as a means to purchase both my happiness and spiritual growth. My happiness is in freedom from mundane activities and loneliness with nature. I use money exclusively for this purpose. Money is buying me time and space, and I am earning my happiness, which is beyond money.” He said, “Buy things that can’t be bought with money using money. That is my advice.”
“I often remember that BMW,” he continued. He was answering my question about why he was traveling by taxi. “That car taught me the value of life. It was a demon. Not only angels can teach the truths of life; demons can also do it. In modern times, we seldom meet angels, but demons are always around us.”
“Yes,” I said. “Before entering the gate of wisdom, you have to meet a demon and win it. According to our mythology, it is actually a Gandharva disguised as a demon. When you defeat it, it reveals its luminous face and beams at you”.
