Necessity of money in life-a rude realisation

The necessity of money in man's life needs no narration in so many words. It plays a pivotal role in the very existence of everyone on earth. That money is deemed by many as 'the second god' is also a fact. But, there are exceptions, too.
In our society, there are some who fail to realise this hard fact until late in life when they are hardly able to earn enough for the sustenance of their own selves and/or of their families.
This is, indeed, very unfortunate for them.
Actually, one needs money at every stage of life -- from birth to death. The parents of a child need to take advice from doctor before its birth. For this they require to pay a fee and buy medicines and nutrients necessary for its growth in the womb at the expected level and also for the mother's nourishment. After the childbirth parents rear it up with the best possible care.
When the child reaches the age of going to school, they choose the best accessible institution for his/her study and, later, for higher studies he/she may be sent abroad or at least to a renowned seat of learning in the country.
Then comes the stage of marriage and the best available groom/bride is selected for the purpose.
Thus the parents need to spend money at all the stages of development of the child up to adulthood. And when one dies, there is dire necessity of money for one's befitting burial and for the programmes arranged seeking salvation of the departed soul.
Conspicuously, two types of people are supposed to understand the importance of money most: (i) those who face an acute financial hardship during early life and (ii) those who have been affluent for generations.
If the former find an opportunity (whether fair or foul) to earn much money, they would leave no stone unturned to grab it while the latter are very much unlikely to endure any kind of want all through their lives. Sometimes money making may become a mania for the former while for the latter it may almost be impossible to abjure aristocracy, taste and etiquette which are embedded on their firm economic footing for long.
Regrettably, a good number of films and fictions are noticed to glorify poverty, depicting characters that opt for honest means for their survival, instead of resorting to evil practices which might help them live a lavish life.
Usually, the heroes and heroines among them are people of unequal social status in terms of financial condition. Thus the parents of the protagonists engage in bloody battles to prevent the two from getting united.
However, most of the stories eventually conclude with the edification: it's not money that matters but what matters most is peace of mind that depends on contentment.
Ironically, the directors, producers and the cast of such movies and publishers and authors of such books earn a great deal of money through playing on the sentiment of the common masses who are very much influenced by what they watch or read.
The individuals mentioned earlier are among these masses. They loathe the life of lavishness featured with financial solvency acquired by unholy means. They somehow keep body and soul together and remain absolutely contented.
But the problem arises when such an individual falls in a serious danger like suffering from a severe disease, loss of the only earning source or matrimony of daughter that necessitates paying the dowry demanded by the would-be in-laws and bearing the incidental expenses.
Besides, his identity which is determined by his profession and social status may be another inhibition to his receiving a fair treatment from the quarters concerned.
Such an individual may have acquaintances at high places in the government and in reputed private or multinational companies. But he remains reluctant to maintain contact with them because of his 'inferiority complex'.
On the other hand, there are also examples, albeit a few, of people making money in whatever way possible. They include those who rise from rags to riches overnight. They may also have enough knowledge about what is right and what is wrong--but they deliberately choose the latter without thinking much about its inevitable consequences.
Instead of getting inspired by the good things portrayed in the films and fictional works, they follow in the footsteps of those playing negative roles in the acting.
There are yet others, too, especially some service-holders who come from humble origins in remote villages but become millionaires (or even billionaires) by amassing wealth through corruption, capitalising on their position and authority throughout their service periods.
By the time they go into retirement, they have already become dignified members of the elite class in society.
They do not hesitate to practice religious rituals despite knowing full well that they are not as steadfast as they should be.
If such a man is a Muslim, he performs Hajj more than once and he seems to be bent on sacrificing the largest animal available on the cattle market on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha to substantiate his superiority.
And if he is a follower of another religion, he spends extravagantly for religious purposes like paying the highest subscription for setting up a pandal or a tree on the occasion of the greatest festival.
Well, it is known to all that a proper education paves one's path to becoming a true human being, possessing noble qualities like honesty, modesty, sincerity, generosity, fellow feeling, patriotism and dutifulness.
Thanks to these sublime virtues such a person is adorned with the dignity and honour which might be of great envy to others surrounding him.   
However, the harsh realities of life may in the long run compel such a man to go so far as to be on the brink of renouncing these qualities in exchange for monetary gains.
But would this man really renounce his greatest possessions, namely, the aforementioned virtues in the end? Possibly not--to him rather 'death is preferable to dishonour'.

The writer is a News Consultant at the FE. E-mail: harun1947@gmail.com