Money By itself, money is just a concept: a fixed unit which expresses the fluctuating value of a good or a service, like a chocolate bar or a movie. Muslims believes that wealth does not belong to you, but that it is merely in your hands today and that you have an obligation to share that wealth with the poor and needy. Andrew Carnegie, one of the world's richest men, wrote in 1888 that a person should have only enough wealth to ensure their family's absolute security. All else should go for the betterment of society. The Buddha taught that neither wealth nor poverty are the proper path, but that your should walk a Middle Path about material goods. In reality, money seems to be the driving force for most people and institutions on this greedy little planet of ours. The surest path to making money will always be that if you perform work, you'll earn pay. If you work hard, you won't have to worry too much about money. Don't love money for its own sake or measure yourself or your values by fixed little units. Kindness can't be rung up on a cash register. Caring about others or spreading love cannot be measured in fixed units.

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Lilac's Book. A book for my daughter.    By Bill Orton. Lilac's Book has been on     continuously since January 3, 1997. Anyone may have a FREE copy of the entire text of Lilac's Book by going to the Download page. Back in 1994, I wrote this book, largely in random order, as a gift for my infant daughter.   When I finished the first version of the book, I made photocopies and handed them out to anyone who was interested.   In 1996, I converted the text of the book into web format and thanks to the gracious and steadfast support from this mighty site, the book has been on Hippyland continuously since January 3, 1997.   As far as I can tell from webstats over the past few years, about 3000 people a year are visiting the page to download the full text of the book.   If just a portion of these visitors are downloading the text, then this free book is now in the hands of thousands of people.   This makes me feel that the gift is not just for Lilac, but for thousands of others, most especially for the teenagers and young adults who so often write to me trying to figure out their place in our world. BEING FREE  |  Table of Contents  |  Readers Comments  |  Download Lilac's Book  |  Return to HIPPYLAND  |  Photo Album Who IS a Hippy  |  The Price of Freedom  |  Following Your Own Heart  |  It Wasn't All Beauty & Lightness  |  Contact Me The original print edition of Lilac's Book © 1994; web editions © 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001.