The Richest Man

The man entered the room where the children, who had been noisily being children, quickly silenced as little ones do when meeting a strange adult. The man was short and of an indeterminate age. He may have been a very old man who looked much younger than his years or a young man grown older than his years from his experience. In any case he carried himself upright with an aura of quiet dignity and calm reserve.

He sat and smiled at the questioning faces. Their teacher had said they would be visited by a wise man that had been her teacher. She had used a funny word, magus, which the children did not understand but gathered it meant he was a wizard or had some sort of magical powers. Some of them wondered if he knew Harry Potter or maybe was Harry Potter all grown up. Such is the freedom and delight of the unfettered imagination.

The man sat and said nothing but looked around at each of the children as if he were seeking out some essence of their being far beyond how they looked or what they were called. He smiled, said hello and asked how they were. Immediately the room exploded in a cacophony of noise as each child, relieved of the tension that had filled the room with his entry and silent observation, sought to capture the attention of this strange yet oddly comforting mysterious stranger.

He waited patiently until the replies were spent and once again the room was filled with silence although now it was a comfortable space of anticipation rather than uncertainty.

He began, “Listen my children and you will hear a story, a story of wonder, a story full of heroes and demons, of love and hate, a story that is sad, a story that is joyful and above all a story that is true.” Their eyes widened as they soaked in the words and felt the respect that the man felt for them. They were used to the many ways adults could treat children and they always loved when they were first treated as people.

“My name is Baraja and this is my story but it is also your story and the story of many who have walked this earth before us. It is a story that has a beginning, a middle and an end but it is also a story that is never ending. We always know the beginnings and the ends but the hard part in stories, as in life, is knowing the middle. Let us begin this story.

“There once was a man who lived in a place very much like this place, in a time very much like this time, in a world very much like this world. He was a man very much like any man. He was neither ordinary nor extra ordinary, a capable man who was mostly good but who sometimes did naughty things just like children who are mostly good but sometimes do naughty things and get into trouble. When this man did good things he felt happy and when he was naughty he felt bad and wished he had not been so naughty.

“In all the world the man wanted many things. He wanted a family and he wanted a good job and he wanted to have fun toys which grown ups desire as much as do children, but most of all he wanted money. He told himself he wanted the money so that he could take care of his family and be able to buy them a nice house, and clothes, to feed them with delicious foods, take them to far away places and have many fun toys. With all of these things the man and his family would have wealth and be rich so that they would want for nothing and be able to buy and do whatever they desired.

“ And the man got what he wanted. He worked hard at his good job and made much money and bought many things but he found that with every new house or car or any other thing he bought while there was pleasure for a while soon the man would be dissatisfied. He would not think how nice is my fine home but would grumble to himself “This car is not a big or fine as my neighbors, I want a nicer car.”

“So as the man made more money he bought a bigger house and nicer cars and kept on buying bigger and better things until there was no more room to make his house bigger, his car nicer or buy any more toys for his children, who were by now very spoiled and not very pleasant or fun to be with.

The man became sad and saw that he had misunderstood how he should use his great wealth. “ I don’t need a bigger house or a finer car. My wealth has given me great power and I must use this power but use it in a good way” (for remember the man was mostly a good man who only sometimes did naughty things).

“So the man used his power and became a very famous man for all the good things he did and everyone knew about the man for they saw his face on television and heard his name in many places and at first the man felt very good about being so famous and seeing his own face on television and hearing so many people speak his name. But fame can be a fickle friend and people grew tired of seeing his face and hearing his name and wanted to hear and see someone new.

“And when this happened the man became very insecure because he had come to think of himself as famous and needed the adoration and attention he felt. And soon the insecurity grew into fear and where once he had been a warm and open friend he began to mistrust all of those around him, even his very closest friends and family.”

The children sat wide eyed as the man told his story. As he paused and took a slow drink of water, a little girl in the front row blurted out, “What happened to the man?”

Baraja looked lovingly at the little girl and said, “Well my dear what happened to the man is what often happens when we close ourselves off from those who love us and lose trust in both ourselves and others. The man became isolated and alone. He would sit for hours in his darkened study speaking to no one and in doing this he became very lonely.

“His loneliness grew deeper into a despair that caused him great sadness and he was not alone for his family and friends were sad because they loved the man and felt bad that they could not help him. The mans wife would sit alone by herself and quietly cry late in the night and their children would see their lonely father and sad mother and they would be sad and frightened.

“One day sitting in his dark loneliness the man felt something deep in his heart that he had not felt for a long time. In his heart of hearts deep in the innermost part of his soul, a longing was awakened from a deep sleep. As the man saw this longing he suddenly felt the need to search for something, anything that could take him from this pit of loneliness and despair. This feeling brought a warmth he had not felt for many years and he realized that for those many years he had not been honest with himself about his heart’s true need and he was filled with a desire to know the truth about himself and about the world.

“The mans new awareness filled him with great hope and energy and he left his dark lonely study and went out and gave each of his children a big hug and kiss and his children were very happy because this was the father they knew and wanted and they had been very scared when he was sad and pushed them away.

“The man felt like he was a new man. He still had his money, wealth and power even some of the fame he had once so fervently sought but now he cared little for any of these things. Oh he still loved his fine house and car and loved to give his children special presents but now he no longer cared how big or fine was his things. He sold his big house and moved into a house that was just the right size and bought a car that was just nice enough and the children had enough fun toys but not too many and best of all they had more time to play with their father which is all they really ever wanted.

“And the man grew very happy. His children grew up and left home and started families of their own and the man loved his grandchildren and his grandchildren loved to visit him in his house that was not too big and not too small but that was ever so much just the right size. And they loved to be with their grandfather because when they were with him they knew that in the entire world, in all the universe even, (and that is a very big place) there was nothing more important to the man at that time, at that place, than their presence and their love.

“The man lived a long time and did many good things and while he was sometimes naughty those times became less and less until the man was a very good man all of the time. Many loved this very good man because he was so loving and caring and seemed so happy with fulfillment and purpose in his life. And people would ask the man how it was that he was so content. And he would smile and say, “My contentment has come from money but not at all in the way I thought it would. I followed a path of power and desire and found only loneliness and despair. I followed a path of honesty and truth and found fulfillment and purpose. In the end money has been a grace in my life that has provided me with the means to follow my heart and souls true path.”

“And when the man died he had no money. He had given all of his wealth to his heart and soul’s desire but everyone who knew the man felt he was the richest man alive.”

Baraja sat back in his chair and smiled at the children and they smiled at him. The little girl in the front row looked up at him and said, “What a very nice story.”

And Baraja knew that in the entire world, in all the universe even, (and that is a very big place) he was the richest man alive.