A Fool’s Bargain
"What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" -- Mark 8:36
What good is the world to a man who has lost his soul—those powers by which we appreciate nature, books, art, and the beautiful things of life? Though such a man owned the whole world, he would be incapable of enjoying it.
To some men the rim of the dollar is the horizon of the whole world. They are money-blind. That is, they are blind to everything but money. So intent are they on making money that they are incapable of any idea that is not commercial. Their whole conversation is of trade and profits. They could not carry on a conversation about anything else. They would be at a complete loss in a company of cultured people where such things as books and art were being discussed. The most en-chanting landscape would not beget a thrill in their bosoms. They have brains for mud, but no brains for music. Merchandise, stocks, bonds, cash, collateral, and mortgages are the only things that interest them. They have no soul for the higher and finer things of life. Their friendships and associations are all built around the dollar.
Such men are to be pitied, not envied. To have a cultivated soul is better than to have a fortune. To lose your own soul and gain the world is a poor bargain. It is a bargain so idiotic that only fools make it.
