Spending and enjoyment.

Spending and enjoyment. Chen Li. Class one, grade 8

These days here at school I have thought a lot about a question that is on my mind. The question that I ponder on is, “Does spending equal enjoyment in life?”

Yesterday I was walking along a street dwelling in my mind about the question. Unwittingly I went into a pottery shop. It was noisy inside. At the moment it is the beginning of the new term. There was a big article of pottery at the front of the shop. I looked at it carelessly. The price of the piece of pottery was surprisingly expensive. It had a 10.000 RMB price tag on it. I was shocked and thought that the price was way too expensive. No one would buy it. Nearly everyone I think would agree with me on that. A man however came into the shop while I was there. He made a very loud announcement so that everyone in the shop could hear; “I will buy this exquisite (Very, very nice) expensive piece of pottery here at the front of the shop” Many of the people in the shop stood with shock showing on their faces.

The shop owner went to serve the man who wanted to purchase the pottery. He had a look of utter happiness on his face. “Are you sure Sir that you wish to buy this piece of art? It is such a fine piece of craftsmanship. A real one of a kind by a master craftsman!

The rich man laughed loudly and said; “Yes, I am very rich so to me this isn’t a lot of money at all. Here you are. You can count it if you like but it is all there.” The shop owner handed the money to his wife to count while he wrapped up the pottery with great care. The rich man then took the wrapped up piece of pottery and then walked out of the shop laughing once again.

The people in the shop said to each other; “He is such a rich man. I wish I was so rich” A woman said; “I wish I was his wife then I could help him to spend his money” One pretty woman ran out of the shop after the rich man. I was actually perplexed after witnessing the rich man’s actions. I asked myself; “Is this man really happy or did he just buy the pottery out of vanity?”

After the event when I had left the shop I thought of an event in my own family. My grandfather was too old to look after himself. My father wanted to put him into a home for elderly people. My grandfather agreed to go. My father found a good place in Shanghai. My father went there first to see what the environment was like. Dad was happy with what he saw when he visited the place in Shanghai. However when he went into the garden at the home my father was surprised to find many disabled old men there. Some old men were blind, some were deaf. When my father saw this he ran out of the garden quickly. From that time on he didn’t say anything about putting his father into a home. I asked my father why he didn’t talk about finding a place any longer for grandfather. Dad replied that although the place he had visited was quite beautiful he didn’t think grandfather would be happy there. Dad said that modern life has become too artificial. If you were old where would you rather be he asked me? Would you like to live in a palace with all old disable people your same age hobbling about and dying from time to time and being replaced by the next old person or with your own children?

I shook my head and continued my walk until I came to a bus stop where I could catch a bus out into the countryside where I had been invited by one of my school friends to visit her parent’s farm. When the bus driver dropped me off on the main country road I still had to walk quite a distance to my friends parents home. I had been there before so I knew the way.

As I was walking along the laneway to my friend’s place I saw a farmer working on his farm. He was singing and also smiling so it was obvious that he was a happy man. It was not difficult but to see that he was poor. How could he be so happy I asked myself? I ran over to him and asked him what the secret to his happiness was! The farmer picked up a bottle of water off the ground, took a drink and then answered me. “Well I’d say that it’s because my heart is peaceful. I’m happy with my simple life. I don’t need flash things. I have a good wife that cooks good simple food for me. We love each other. I don’t have any boss yelling at me. I don’t have any business pressure. I just have a simple peaceful life. I looked at him and said; “Thanks, you have made me realize what life really is!” He smiled and laughed happily with me.

Now when I am contemplating life, I always remember these things. I really know now that happiness belongs in the heart. It doesn’t have to be associated with money.