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In Reply to: Re: How do you measure success and riches? posted by MV on February 14, 2003 at 05:41:08:
Wow! You're right. That really was the truth. In the Family we thot we had all the answers to complex questions for every person. We had it all reduced to the formula: forsake all and live as a beggar becuase as St. Francis said, "Christ was a begger and his holy apostles were beggers, and Grandpa wants me to be a beggar and get out there and defraud the public and look at people as piggy banks who are so worthless that they ought to give their money to God. So I think I'll just live hand to mouth, neglect my kids' dental needs, pray for life-threatening sicknesses instead of using any of Grandpa's money. I'll turn it all in tothe Home and tithe to Granpa and he can live in ease and yes, I'll just be a beggar."
And then when our kids started wanting careers we were proud to hear them parrot back, "No, I just want to be a missionary." We never could quite get them to smile and say, "No, I just want to be a begger the rest of my life," but it really added up to the same thing.
BTW, I totally agree with your assessment, that loving relationships have got to be number one in our lives. I'd like to save some money and may be able to soon, and it's important, but we can never surrender our loved ones again whether to a cult leader's whims, or to a desire to 'get rich'.
