wealth

The Three Old Men

A woman came out of her house and saw three old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard.

She did not recognize them. She said “I don’t think I know you, but you must be hungry.
Please come in and have something to eat.”

“Is the man of the house home?” they asked.
“No”, she replied. “He’s out.”

“Then we cannot come in”, they replied.

The Husband Returns

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. “Go tell them I am home and invite them in!”
The woman went out and invited the men in. “We do not go into a House together,” they replied.
“Why is that?” she asked.

One of the old men explained: “His name is Wealth,” he said pointing to one of his friends,
and said pointing to another one, “He is Success, and I am Love.”
Then he added, “Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home.”

Wealth Success and Love

The woman went in and told her husband what was said.
Her husband was overjoyed. “How nice!!” he said. “Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!”
His wife disagreed. “My dear, why don’t we invite Success?”
Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house.
She jumped in with her own suggestion: “Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!”

Choosing the Guest

“Let us heed our daughter-in-law’s advice,” said the husband to his wife. “Go out and invite Love to be our guest.”
The woman went out and asked the three old men, “Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest.”
Love got up and started walking toward the house.
The other two also got up and followed him.

Which Comes First

Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: “I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?”

The old men replied together: “If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would’ve stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him.”

“Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success”

The Spirit of Money

We know that greed and the dedication to profit at all costs is part of what has gone wrong with the monetary system.

We know that the planet's resources are unfairly apportioned – some people's portions are almost non-existent, and a very high percentage of wealth resides in the hands of just a few families, nations and sectors.

We know that unscrupulous employers still treat their staff badly, exploit the vulnerable and turn out inferior products.

But at the moment we still use money as a currency to exchange for goods and services. There are alternative systems springing up – more barter, more skills swaps and suchlike – however for most of us getting our groceries and clothing and paying for the services we use requires a certain amount of money. And for supply and demand to run smoothly, the people who supply our goods and services need to make money so they can continue.

Business needs to make money to survive. It doesn't necessarily need to make huge profits (or even any profits) to be successful, though. We live in a world where the expectation is that we expand all the time, the next quarterly and annual results are what drive many executives, and they are bound up in the expectations of shareholders who demand ample returns on their investments. Zero growth, and a stable, constant economy is not the current modus operandi even if it is thought of increasingly as an option for aiding recovery.

We have researched alternatives, read extensively and been privy to research carried out by major bodies both in the UK and globally which indicates that good practice as caring, compassionate companies with a loving approach impacts the bottom line positively – with happier employees, contented customers and satisfied shareholders. All Stakeholders – which is surely the inclusive word to use – taken care of and a more stable future in view.

Christine Miller

Inviting Love