Man Know Thyself
Man Know Thyself
~ 7 ~
Every success gained in this way, however, is trivial
and mundane and will be of no avail in the afterlife.
He who is concerned with consolidation of his
worldly position at the expense of the afterlife is
like the young man who does not care to save up
for his old age. Eventually the time comes when his
limbs fail him and he becomes unfit for further toil.
Suddenly he realizes his predicament: he is without
food, clothes and shelter. He is no longer able to
provide for himself. In rags, he lies down in despair
in the shade of some wall where the dogs bark at
him and boys throw stones. Though we witness
with our own eyes the plight of those who have not
‘saved up’ for the afterlife, we are still not
galvanised into action. All of us are too concerned
with the consolidation of our present positions. No
one gives a thought of tomorrow.
When the air-raid siren sounds in wartime and
proclaims in its chilling wail: “Squadrons of enemy
bombers are approaching to blast this city to
eternity. To the air-raid shelters at once!” everyone
immediately takes the quickest route to the shelters
and, in an instant, the busiest of streets are deserted.
Anyone who does not react in this manner is
