I just heard about a very rich man who collects art. He has built himself an underground bunker to house all the paintings in. They are on display in this underground gallery, but you can only see them by private invitation.
However we define success, it will inevitably reflect our values. As the Dalai Lama remarked:”Although humans can manage without religion, they cannot manage without inner values” – values that will reflect our hopes and fears, our judgements and expectations and our relationship with ourselves and with other people.
British rapper, A J Tracy, may not be someone you have heard of – especially if you are over a certain age. He reached No 2 in the charts when he appeared with Stormzy – you must have heard of him! – on the single “Ain’t it Different.” He’s just pledged £40,000 a year for three years to attract and support students from ethnic minorities at St. Peter’s College, Oxford. Modest if you are a billionaire, but a significant gesture.
A man left seventeen camels to his three sons. He left half the camels to his first son, a third to his second and a ninth to the third. Not able to negotiate a solution – because seventeen could not be divided by two or three or nine – the sons consulted a wise old man. After pondering on the the question, he said, “I don’t know if I can help you, but at least take my camel.”
The sons now had eighteen camels. The first son took his half – that made nine. The second took his third – six – and the third took his ninth – two. Nine and six and two made seventeen. They now had one camel left over, which they returned to the old man.