How an Indian middle class outlook is the best way to live better?

Sometimes you have the means but no money or you do not have the means but a lot of money.

There is a Sanskrit shloka which says.

“Vidya dadati vinayam,vinyaad yaati patratvavam, patratvavaad dhanam aapnoti, dhanaad dharmam, tatah sukham!!”

“Knowledge begets humility, with humility comes capability, with capability money is earned, with money religion/spirituality is acquired, which then leads to contentment!!”

Money doesn’t buy anything but those who value it, use it judiciously, can reap its benefit without getting swayed or become lusty for it.

Money becomes evil if that is the only desire. Greed for money is the worst of all greeds. It makes brothers and sisters fight among each other and almost kill their neighbors for the want of it.

Money does no good but acquiring it through knowledge, smartness and hard work, adds to the value of a human on Earth. We feel that life is worth with a strong back-up of spending capacity for any emergency.

Human development in a country is deciphered by the purchasing power parity of a currency compared globally. The Gross National Income tells about how much we can develop our human capital.

The richest people in the world can enjoy their money with spirituality, this aesthetic wealth must bring in a harmony between wants and fulfillment. They should not fall for the vagrancies of affluence which we can discuss in some other post.

The next few paragraphs will conjoin the global communion to save their wealth, enjoy a luxurious lifestyle but not at the cost of others who find it difficult to even have 2 meals a day. The poor are 5 times more physically active than us yet they eat much less.

The third great depression can be controlled. It has swiped the communities in debt, lost wages, brought on and worsened many health issues, meagre resources have created inequity and so on.

No, do not look up to the rulers for generating enormous wealth, as they may or may not be deprived, but both ways agreed because they represent their country and its pride. Never take your support away to allow a ruler to rule with pride.

Does the world honour national character? Or at least does a globalized individual feel responsible to tackle resources in such a manner that the world does not suffer by their selfishness? I do not know the world that much and neither my entire country but what I do know from my upper middle class experience in India is,

No Wastage, use your means to acquire wealth but save it!!

Hilarious part is that money should not be a reason attached to our waist circumference and not spent only on it!!

In 2015 after my post graduation, I was happy earning Rs 45,000. My needs were accordingly. Now I earn as an Associate Professor in a medical college, I still know my limits despite enjoying a luxurious lifestyle by preventing the urge to consume everything that’s sold, creating a control on my instinctual desires. Binge spending is depressive, what good it is to buy things every weekend and stuff your wardrobe?

I know some upper middle class people who are more rich than me. But they also have only 3 meals a day and come to work wearing stuff modestly and not like laden in ornaments and Gucci bags to flaunt, Sheisido lip colors and so on. To party, they do not require a dollar 500 jacket and an Armani Code perfume. They can afford, they have procured some elite stuff, but that is saved for rare show ups, and for rest of the days its just earning and saving for those rare flaunting experiences that everyone around them enjoys. Abundance and plethora is a life-long process for them. Slowly accumulating and saving in funds keeps them happy and smug. Its more of managing money and not buying the best. Do not buy to throw it in the dustbin.

Why I decided to write this article is because I feel agitated, I had to throw my bottle gourd in dustbin. I wanted to cook stuff this Sunday but this gourd gave up attacked by fungi. I had to have some flax seeds in utthapam, thankfully the batter was intact. I spent today on my hair, so wanted to prepare food and not order some not so healthy food from outside. So it is sad today with the gourd!!

When I become old, I might afford some wastage because of physical disabilities that may not let me become so efficient in managing resources then. But with the advent of middle age, when my body is full version of itself, my manager brain wants me to save for old age, only if I live that much, but still money is a global context, it does not belong to me, I am being paid, I do not have a note machine to print it myself. I do not have to show people that I am better than them because I have a lot of money and state of the art lifestyle. My education is the means to earn it. Other’s if not so educated can invest in me for my art, or also choose not to. Things are always temporary. So save your money, invest your money and enjoy your money. The spa was excellent. My hair thanked me for it.

For those who want to save money, especially the young readers, here are some known stuff, so I thought of reminding you:

1. Try shedding weight so that the Vero Moda T-shirt of your sister fits you and you do not have to rely on another big Marks and Spencer’s 16-18–20 sized masterpiece.
2. Eat for energy and satiety, not to gorge in lots of Swiggys and Zomatos. Every Sunday we don’t want a chocolate cake, wine or butter parathas.
3. Try buying seeds not plants.
4. Remove the urge to dump stuff to combat scarcity. Only when one bottle of soap is finished, buy the next one. Hoarding makes you bored with similar supplies. Buy again in the next weekend or fortnight. Don’t use similar accessories and supplies, try new brands, explore so that you gain knowledge of alternatives at similar price. First in First out. Mustard oil cooking over groundnut oil this month!!
5. Try kindle. But if the hard copy is cheap, no harm buying it.
6. Do not ruin the gourd, turnover of stuff is important, if you are not using it, try charity.
7. Spend on the car. That is something of value.
8. Avoid unnecessary gifting, save money for the article processing fee, the yoga class, your phone and electricity bills etc.
9. Judiciously use the detergent on clothes, don’t wash clothes everyday. It increases the shelf life of your belongings.
10. Enjoy over a movie with pop-corns or restaurants or ice-cream not more than twice or thrice a month if of course you do not have children yet. Go to museums, exhibitions and zoos instead of pubs…..your choice, not becoming judgmental dear cousins.

Early to bed and Early to rise, will not let a person become insane and can be more wise in managing the day with futuristic point of view that begets success in whatever we do. Pay taxes.