A Poor Man Needs Money, Not Mysticism

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 25 November 2024 Recently in a seminar on Philosophy, Metaphysics and Mysticism at a university in Madras, an erudite speaker quoted a famous statement: Poor are materialistic, it needs money to be a mystic. Very true ! It indeed needs money to be a mystic, a term which despite being exceedingly abstruse and inexplicable, is as famous as the word spirituality is in recent times. Furthering that speaker's quote, I quoted O Henry (the pen name of William Sydney Porter, one of the most renowned American short story writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries). He said, " Love and business and family and religion and art and patriotism are nothing but shadows of words when a man's starving! " In O Henry's thought-provoking quote, he emphasizes the overwhelming power of hunger and the impact it has on an individual's perspective. Here, he suggests that fundamental aspects of life, such as love, business, family, religion, art, and even patriotism, lose their significance when one's basic needs, like food, are not met. In the face of starvation, these abstract ideas transform into mere illusions, unable to alleviate the pain and suffering caused by an empty stomach. O Henry's quote serves as a reminder of the primal nature of human survival, highlighting the crucial importance of meeting our most basic needs before delving into the complexities of existence. Religion is luxury, spirituality is affluence and mysticism is abstractionism. Bhookhe Pet Bhajan Nahin Hoye Gopala, Le Teri Kanthi, Le Teri Maala. Shareer Maadhyam Khalu Dharmsaadhanam (Body is the sole source and medium of Dharm). Tasawwuf Aur Falsafe Pe Khoob Charcha Kiya/ Haif, In Se Magar Pet Na Bhar Saka (We discussed at length on philosophy and spirituality/ Alas, that couldn't fill our tummy). When you see today's fashionable, English-speaking spiritual gurus, living in clover, and descanting upon soul, Aatma-Parmatma, transcendence, inner engineering (!), dualism, non-dualism and what not, don't you ever think whether these 'enlightened' people would have said the same exalted things had they been hungry and poor? Rabindranath Tagore, by far the greatest exponent of poetic mysticism in India, enjoyed a sybaritic lifestyle far from the madding crowd and also away from the Great Unwashed. He didn't have to worry for the quotidian existence. The man had a retinue of helpers. In fact, they waited on him hand and foot. So, our first Nobel laureate could write dreamy and gossamer poems and musings on god in an idyllic ambience. When you talk about god in abstract terms and deliberately complicate divinity and spirituality, what you create is called mysticism. For carrying out such lofty esoteric experimentations, you must be well-fed. These obscenely rich 'masters' and gurus validate the definition of mysticism as something eternally misty. God, religion, preaching, Pravachan and all spiritual philosophies are for those who don't have to worry for making both ends meet. A poor man needs money, not mysticism. Give him morsels, not the mumbo-jumbo of spirituality. By the way, can you precisely define the term Metaphysics? Physics is so definite and concrete. I think, what's correspondingly indefinite and fluid is Metaphysics! Am I wrong? ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/poor-man-money-mysticism/d/133805 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism