On Needs And Wealth

The Five of Cups

I ran across the following quote from Franz Werfel today:¹

“The safest wealth is the poverty of needs.”

And I drew this Tarot card to explore it:

Like the figure in the Five of Cups, with three spilled cups, we can all potentially lose what we have. Sometimes it can certainly seem all rather ‘easy come, easy go.’ I’ve certainly experienced that in the stock market over the decades. The occasional big gain, offset by the thankfully less occasional huge loss.

But, what is money, or wealth, ultimately, but a means to take care of ourselves and those in our lives, our spouse, children, perhaps even friends.

And in my life I have certainly found the old adage true that the more one makes, the more one needs, for we tend to spend rather than save what we make.

The figure in the Five of Cups hasn’t lost everything. Much has been spilled, yet more remains.

Enough to live? To begin again?

Most likely so.

Enough to continue as had been done in the past? The figure’s evident despair says no.

But that’s just it, isn’t it?

Do we need the largest house in the poshest neighborhood? Do we need the fanciest new car? Do we need the largest television imaginable with every streaming service available?

Sure, those are the trappings of wealth. Artificial signals of success.

But is it real wealth if we must work a job we hate in order to pay for them? Is it real wealth if we would lose these things if we lost our income for a couple of months? Is it real wealth if we must work so many hours that we miss out on important events in our children’s lives, or can’t maintain healthy relationships?

Or is real wealth in owning a house we can actually afford without struggle? A car that is serviceable and within our budget instead of flashy and outside of it?

If those lesser needs give us peace of mind, and the ability to live with meaning outside of our occupation, the ability to have and enjoy excess time; well, I would argue, as the quote does, that is wealth.

That the poverty of needs does indeed translate to actual wealth that can be preserved.

And that wealth opens up time. Time which we can use to know ourselves, better ourselves, and live the life we want to live. Time which can be devoted to relationships and true human connection. Cups certainly point to the importance of our emotional relationships, and the nurturing of them.

In the Five of Cups we see a loss mourned. Hopefully the figure doesn’t give into despair, rather turns around to see that much still remains.

1. Quote found here:

The Wisdom Letter #307