Why human beings chase wealth?

There are few characteristics which are common among all human beings such as our body system's functioning and the way our mind works. All human ambitions are also common such as 'Amassing material wealth' except few exceptions like Buddha who relinquished all carnal pleasures and became a recluse. Can't imagine sometimes how he could do that? From a common man's perspective Lord Buddha is mad.

May be because of what Buddha did we remember him after 2500 years later when we don't even know who was our great great grandfather! It is a million dollar question to answer 'Whether Buddha was mad or my great great grandfather.

As usual you don't need to agree to what I am going to say. My analysis goes like this:

Right from my 'Enquiry' of life started, I was curious to know why human beings without exception chase wealth at the cost of everything else? If this greed is not present akin to animal kingdom, this planet will not have 90% people below poverty line.

The creator for some unknown reasons kept only two motives for all living creations - the 'self preservation' & 'Procreation'. The 'self preservation' drives us to somehow survive and escape from death and procreation drives us be after sex. This is common between animals as well as human beings but for the only difference. The animal do everything unconsciously where as human do consciously. Both science as well as Veda confirms that human is the most evolved species on Earth and there is no further evolution possible!

As we are conscious being we only know that one day we will die and no way we can escape from death. Our self preservation does not permit us to accept death and we wish to live for ever. This desire to somehow escape from death makes us to amass wealth with a hope that we can escape death if we have enough money.

The other reason for tendency to amass wealth is, human beings always wants to grow more than what they are. This desire to become infinite is restricted by our physical limitations. Due to this limitation we try to aggrandise materials, land space etc. This gives a notional feeling of expansion of ourselves. For example Hitler or Alexander wanted to acquire the whole world.

Some Yogis thought you can grow inwardly to merge with the divine that resides in you there by you become all pervading, omnipotent, Omniscient being. This is what Buddha did. Please remember one thing - Human race never worships those who were greedy and had the maximum material possessions; but touches the feet of a yogi who relinquished everything and merged with divine.

Jai Gurudev
NC