Accumulating wealth cannot be the goal of life

The issue of wealth accumulation by a handful of people has gained traction all over the world. I would like to bring up the three final wishes made by Alexander the Great, the famous ancient Greek king, at his deathbed.

Knowing for certain that he would die soon, Alexander, one of the most successful military commanders ever born, told his subordinates, “My first wish is to have my physician bring my coffin home alone. My second wish is scatter the gold, silver, and gems from my treasure-house along the path to the tomb when you ship my coffin to the grave. My final wish is to put my hands outside the coffin.”

When his bewildered advisers asked him why he had these wishes, Alexander replied that he wanted everyone to understand three lessons that he had learnt. Firstly, no doctor or physician can really save one from the clutches of death. The second wish was to tell people that not even a fraction of the riches that he had accumulated would go with him. His third wish was to let people understand that he came into the world with empty hands and he would leave it also with empty hands.

Alexander the Great died at the age of 33, but in that short span of life he understood the real meaning of life and hoped that others would also understand.