“There is no class so pitiably wretched as that which possesses money and nothing else.” ~ Andrew Carnegie
Carnegie is said to have amassed $298.3 billion in 2007 dollars.
He’s also quoted as saying: “I resolved to stop accumulating and begin the infinitely more serious and difficult task of wise distribution.”
Considering money in more general terms, there’s a wonderful and innovative four-part documentary on PBS called the Ascent of Money narrated by Niall Ferguson. Certainly not a dry documentary; more like a video novel…
The following Spiritual Quote is a letter from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (a man poor in money yet vastly rich in spirit) written to Andrew Carnegie.
Spiritual Quote:
“O respected personage! I have read your work, The Gospel of Wealth [1], and noted therein truly apposite and sound recommendations for easing the lot of humankind.
[1] An article from Andrew Carnegie’s book The Gospel of Wealth was published in England in the Pall Mall Budget and called, also, The Gospel of Wealth, cf. Andrew Carnegie’s Autobiography 255n.
“To state the matter briefly, the Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh advocate voluntary sharing, and this is a greater thing than the equalization of wealth. For equalization must be imposed from without, while sharing is a matter of free choice.
“Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him. And sharing is a personally chosen righteous act: that is, the rich should extend assistance to the poor, they should expend their substance for the poor, but of their own free will, and not because the poor have gained this end by force. For the harvest of force is turmoil and the ruin of the social order. On the other hand voluntary sharing, the freely-chosen expending of one’s substance, leadeth to society’s comfort and peace. It lighteth up the world; it bestoweth honour upon humankind.
“I have seen the good effects of your own philanthropy in America, in various universities, peace gatherings, and associations for the promotion of learning, as I travelled from city to city. Wherefore do I pray on your behalf that you shall ever be encompassed by the bounties and blessings of heaven, and shall perform many philanthropic deeds in East and West. Thus may you gleam as a lighted taper in the Kingdom of God, may attain honour and everlasting life, and shine out as a bright star on the horizon of eternity.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 115
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I really learned a ton of information from the Ascent of Money PBS show. I had intended on catching it when it first aired a few weeks ago,but couldn’t make it. Thanks! I am thrilled in the enrichment of the artists and thinkers of the rennaisance period, and feel very comforted by the “logic” behind the explaination for how business is ran these days. I was struck by the fact that banking has developed to be so prominant in just four short centuries and now I have a better grip on what is happening today. Very Cool!!!Sorry about my spelling errors!!
Hey! Thanks for commenting on the PBS show–gotta be the best documentary I’ve seen in years!!
So now you know enough to make Lots of money, right? 😉
i’m going to watch this – sounds very interesting.
what a beautiful quotation by both men – and how inspiring to see these two great “lighted tapers” together! thank you!
“lighted tapers”: Awesome description for these two enlightened Souls!!!