Quentin LedfordAlthough I don't recall any counsel not to invest in retirement/pension, the Society most certainly HAS always frowned upon, and counseled strongly against, one either pursuing a higher education or seeking a professional 'career'.
This counsel though, is certainly NOT Biblical. Neither the pursuit of a higher education nor the committing of one self to a career pursuit means that one has devoted their self to the love of riches or of material things.
When I was growing up, we were financi... moreAlthough I don't recall any counsel not to invest in retirement/pension, the Society most certainly HAS always frowned upon, and counseled strongly against, one either pursuing a higher education or seeking a professional 'career'.
This counsel though, is certainly NOT Biblical. Neither the pursuit of a higher education nor the committing of one self to a career pursuit means that one has devoted their self to the love of riches or of material things.
When I was growing up, we were financially so destitute that we were compelled to live in a government subsidized housing project.
The one thing I knew was that was certainly no place I wanted to be. I learned early on that one had to make a living.
I found it a bit disingenuous and extremely discouraging that those who criticized and ridiculed me for throwing myself into my education offered me absolutely no practical guidance, much less assistance.
I have though, learned many lessons over the years.
Contrary to the opinions of some (and the 'class divisive' messages of the media), those who become wealthy are generally not 'greedy'. Most have worked very hard to achieve their success, some were blessed to inherit favorable circumstances which enabled them to prudently become more secure and provide very well for their families.
I have known some very greedy people who stayed broke, some too, who were not broke, but they lost everything they had in the pursuit of 'riches'. Almost always these are seeking instant riches.
All of us need to be balance, and we cannot allow ourselves to live our lives in accord with someone elses expectations.
We live on average 70 or 80 years.
We spend our first 25 years learning how to live, the next 25 years or so (if we're wise) working as hard as we can (and yes, building savings) hoping that we will have enough to survive the last 25 years when we can't do it anymore knowing that at some point we will die.
I cannot tell you how many people I've known over the years who did not follow the course of wisdom for their second 25 years of working and saving who are really struggling today. Many of these fully adopted the philosophy promoted by the Society that 'everything is temporary, so why prepare for the future'. (BTW - This philosophy is one which the Governing Body their selves have NEVER followed in managing the organization!)
Comments (2)