“True riches go beyond what you own”
Being rich is usually associated with financial wealth, but in life, wealth isn’t just about material things. True riches go beyond what you own. They include emotional wealth from relationships, intellectual wealth from knowledge, the richness of experiences and even spiritual wealth from finding meaning and inner peace.
During our Integral Human Development class session, we engaged in a recollection activity led by Mr. James Manez and Ms. Macy Eusebio, both graduate student formation coordinators at the Lasallian Pastoral Office. The exercise involved discussing our daily routines.
Given that most of us fall into the working-age group, our shared experiences were quite similar. In my case, I juggle multiple roles as a mother, wife, student and entrepreneur, which often makes my typical day quite overwhelming. However, it was only when I had the chance to learn about the daily routine of my other classmates that I truly appreciated the richness of the relationships within my own family.
This realization stems from the fact that only some have the privilege of spending quality time with their loved ones as I do.
The activity also involves identifying if the fundamental aspects of human needs, such as material, social, ethical, bodily, cognitive, emotional, aesthetic, and spiritual, are being met within our workplaces. As I went through this process, I reckoned that while most of us could check off the material and cognitive needs on the list, there were usually two or three aspects of human needs that needed to be fulfilled.
These gaps often relate to our spiritual, bodily, or emotional needs. The results are very interesting because just as we thought we were doing enough, it turned out that we were not. It was a powerful reminder of the ongoing need for improved quality of life. In our professional lives, we frequently emphasize maintaining our financial well-being as it is essential for meeting our material needs like food, shelter, etc. However, it’s important to recognize that financial health is just one aspect of achieving holistic human development.
There is also one topic that struck me when we discussed the four pillars of catholic social teaching. These pillars include human dignity, which revolves around treating others with the same respect we desire for ourselves.
The common good emphasizes creating conditions that foster collective growth and development; subsidiarity, which encourages individuals to take responsibility and share their gifts for the benefit of all; and solidarity, which calls for being good Samaritans and assisting those in need.
In this context, it is closely tied to the concept of spiritual wealth, as being rich is not just about accumulating wealth for oneself but recognizing the dignity and worth of every individual and the interconnectedness of humanity. It is about working collectively for the common good and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to lead a fulfilling life.
In essence, it’s not the size of our bank account, but the depth of our connections, the scope of our knowledge, the boundless love we share, and the lasting legacy we create that truly define our wealth. It is a reminder that we can be rich in one aspect of life and yet experience a form of poverty in another.
We can aspire to lead truly fulfilling lives by acknowledging and nurturing all these facets. Some people may equate billionaire status and extravagant displays of wealth with richness, but the true measure of wealth lies within oneself. At the end of the day, only you knew the answer to the question, “Are you as rich as you think?”.
The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. She wrote this reflection paper for her class on Integral Human Development. She can be reached at ma_myr_bautista@dlsu.edu.ph.
The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty and its administrators.