the poverty living

What’s a quote that perfectly describes your outlook on life?

“You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but never to the fruits of your actions. Never consider yourself the cause of the results, nor become attached to inaction.”
— Bhagavad Gita 2.47

The Seeker looked at the Sage and asked,
“Tell me, what is the purpose of living an honest life if honesty leaves me with so little?
I lived carefully.

Every ringgit I earned came from long hours of work. I denied myself comforts, hoping that one day my savings would become my security. Yet I remained poor while so many people around me became wealthy.
One day, I opened the white drawer where I clearly remembered placing a bundle of banknotes. Instead, I found them inside a brown box. I knew I had never placed them there. From that day onward, trust no longer came easily.

The loss itself was painful, but what hurt even more was seeing how easily people dismissed my concerns. Some called me sick. Others laughed. Some ignored me completely. It was as if speaking about my pain made me the problem instead of the pain itself.
Then I looked around at the world.

I saw envy disguised as ambition.
Hatred disguised as strength.
Manipulation disguised as intelligence.
Greed disguised as success.
People climbing higher while leaving their conscience behind.

For years I kept asking myself, ‘What is the purpose of living poorly? Why spend a lifetime struggling only to watch others race ahead?’

The Sage remained silent.

The Seeker continued.
‘Perhaps poverty is not what broke me.
Being betrayed did.
Being ignored did.
Being made to question my own memory did.
Being told my experiences did not matter did.
Every disappointment became another stone I carried on my back. I wanted answers, but life offered only more questions.’

The Sage finally spoke.

‘You are searching for justice in a world ruled by karma. Some people accumulate wealth. Some accumulate suffering. Neither tells you the condition of their soul.
Do not allow the conduct of others to become the author of your destiny.
Protect your mind.
Protect your integrity.
Protect your awareness.

The world may become darker around you, but you need not become dark within.
Walk carefully.
Trust wisely.
Speak less.
Observe more.
Let your peace become something that cannot be stolen.’
The Seeker lowered their head.

For the first time, the question was no longer,
‘Why did this happen to me?’
It became,
‘How do I ensure this pain does not become who I am?’

“Abandon all varieties of worldly dependence and take refuge in Me alone. I shall free you from all sorrow. Do not fear.”
— Bhagavad Gita 18.66