Time is Money
Acharyasri Dr. Sachidananda Bharati
- Unusual Turns / 4
- 29-11-2022
Since the last one week five year old Deepu has been asking his father the same question,
“Daddy.. daddy... how much you get for one hour in the morning?”
Evening Deepu would be fast asleep by the time his father got back home. He was a senior officer in the Bank and member of the local Gymkhana Club. He often got back home very late.
It was Sunday and the father was watching TV. That was when Deepu went to him and asked again the same silly question, “Daddy.. daddy... how much you get for one hour?”
This time his father got very angry and shouted at him. Little Deepu went away sobbing. After some time the father followed his son. He was lying on his bed, still sobbing. When he saw his father, the child asked the same question,
“Daddy...daddy... how much you get for one hour?”
“Forty rupees,” told the father finally.
Little Deepu got up, went and brought his piggy bank. He counted all the money that he had been saving up for long. It was only 37 rupees.
“Daddy I have only 37 Rupees. Can you please play with me for one hour?” he asked.
The father was surprised.
“Why son, why should you pay me for playing with you?” he asked.
“Daddy you always say 'time is money'. You never have time to play with me. I want you to play with me daddy... ........Please....daddy…”
Many of us today are like that father. We have no time for others, even for our spouses and children. We are very busy making more money, working hard to get to the top... In our mad race after the good things of life, we lose out on the best things. This is the tragedy of the modern world.
Acharyasri Dr. Sachidananda Bharati is an Air Force Squadron leader turned sanyasi, who represented India in the United Nations assembly of religious leaders from across the world. He has written many books and has travelled extensively.