Applicable(?) Aphorisms #42

   "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." -- Matthew 6:19-21

True, false, good, bad, useful, not so useful, etc.? Discuss.

My thoughts:

Any religion that posits an afterlife, conditioned on one's actions in this life, will likely include an admonition of this type.

It might be a single, eternal afterlife of either paradise or punishment (as in conventional modern Protestant Christianity), or a reincarnation scenario (as in some eastern religions) where one's accrued karma in this life determines one's station/situation in the next).

And once one of those religions gets organized and established, the admonition is quite useful for getting believers to fork over much of their material wealth to "the church," etc.

My own religious beliefs tend toward the idea that, given the lack of clear instructions with strong proof of authenticity from Deity X, our only real "duty" is to try to discern morality from a study of "creation" itself. Deity X handed us a puzzle in a box, and we should try to put that puzzle together as best we can.

Is an obsession with the next Lamborghini or Rolex unhealthy for "the soul?" I think perhaps it is.

But the material world is here, and I can't see any "sin" in approaching that material world with an eye toward living comfortably within it, and peacefully making or earning such material means as bring us closer to that comfort. Since we're each unique in our comfort standards, lecturing "the wealthy" about having "too much" seems silly.

But if your own beliefs point you toward intentional poverty in pursuit of a posthumous reward, don't let me talk you out of it -- especially if you find that the approach makes you happy.