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DISCOURSE 44
293
to deck the house with superfluous furniture. You may like simple food, but they may like special and expensive dishes.
AN IDEAL FAMILY
Therefore, you have to convince the members of your family of the value of prudence, in a peaceful and suave manner. The value of the habit of spending money should be realised. About thirty years ago, I had to be in close contact with the family of a multimillionaire, for some days. Two young men of the family were studying in a college. One day, when those two young men were setting out for college, I was pleasantly surprised. I said nothing at the time. When in the evening, they returned home and when after having had their food, they came to me, I said, "Why do not you wear a wrist-watch ?"
They said, “We do not need a watch. We see the clock at home when we set out. On our way we can find out the time from the clock-tower and in the college, of course, there is a clock. In our classroom, also there is a clock”.
I said, "Is it because you do not have a fancy to wear a wrist-watch or do not your friends say, "Though they are affluent, they do not wear wrist watches ?” When you see other rich people wearing wrist-watches, do not you also entertain a fancy for them ?"
One of them said, “We do not have any such fancy. In the beginning, our friends used to ask us why we were not wearing watches. We told them that a wrist-watch was not a symbol of affluence and that we had no desire to exhibit our affluence. Since then, no one has asked us why we do not wear watches”.
I said, “Are you not giving others, the impression of being miserly ?"
They said, “No, whenever some cultural activity takes place in the college, we give a large donation. We also render some help to poor students by giving them money to buy their books, to pay their fee etc. Because of this, all the students of our college love us”.
I asked them another question. 'I see that every day you
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