RAMANAM
In the Name of The Father, and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit, Amen.
Countrymen,
Tillich:
The courage to be is rooted in the God who appears when God has disappeared in the anxiety of doubt.
The awareness of the ambiguity of one’s highest achievements (as well as one’s deepest failures) is a definite symptom of maturity.
Graham:
No one makes money. Money, both specie (silver, gold, platinum, jewels) and symbolic (bills, cheap metal coins), is distilled or concentrated earth. That is already made, and not by any man.
Money is earned, collected or both, never made, by men and women. And only if they want to and not if they do not.
One makes what pleases one and what pleases one is what comes from inside one, from inner necessity.
If one makes what one thinks will please others, one has made nothing but groveling of one’s self.
If what pleases one to make pleases others, and they offer to exchange money in consideration of what one has made, and one accepts to do that (not a requirement just because someone offers a consideration), well and good. But that is not making money. That is exchanging a product of one’s pleasant labor for money, which one is entirely entitled to do if one chooses to do so. But only if.
If one collects money one receives from earning or exchanging product for money, well and good. But that is not making money. It is collecting money. And what one collects in this manner belongs to one and to no one else.
So, interlocutors who want to know whether you make money, or whether what you do makes money or can, are wanting to lord it over you, that is all, and that desire arose from their envy of you. Their questions are to divert your attention from their condition (envy) and their intent (belittle you), which are malicious.
The proper answer to such questions is a question, usually in the nature of, “Why do you want to know?” or “What business is that of yours?” or, probably best of all, “And what do you do?” They are trying to convince themselves that their envy of you is not justified because they are better than you, their status and career surpass yours. But their envy is gouging them out and will continue to do until they cease it.
Always put a question to a questioner who makes you uncomfortable, self-doubting, feeling small, embarrassed, etc. Every conversation, whether benign or malign, is controlled by the one asking the questions. Be that one unless you know the questioner is benign, then answer questions as honestly as possible, and with as great depth and breadth as possible.
Anyone who wants or tries to belittle or embarrass you envies you. That is their problem, not yours.
AMDG – VICTORY
