About the Author
It is no secret that money is something we all wish we had more of, so when I first showed interest in this journey, “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George C. Clawson naturally came up.
George is coined with the phrase, “pay yourself first” which you probably have heard and is used repeatedly by modern day finance gurus like David Ramsey and Robert Kiyosaki. George ran a successful business before and after the Great Depression hit and he shares the principles that kept him thriving in such a time in his book written in a parable like format set in ancient Babylon. I believe this is to highlight that principles on building wealth today have always existed and are just as much relevant back then as they are now. WHY? When God created the universe there were laws put in places that were etched into the very thread of reality that even now we cannot fully comprehend. What we can count on is that if we learn and understand some of these laws which God gives us and are shared in this book, obtaining wealth and keeping it is inevitable which is why it has sold over 2 million copies, and many people like you and me have found it to be impactful to their lives.
The Man Who desired Gold: An Ode to Change
“But remember this, the sun that shines today is the sun that shown when thy father was born, and will still be shining when thy last grandchild shall pass into darkness”
A Historical Sketch of Babylon
Babylon only had two natural resources, soil and water. Yet, they are accredited with being pioneers in economic development, math, astrology, and science. So how did Babylon which was a very wealthy city become that way despite not having sufficient rainfall, mines, forest, precious metals, or anything that may directly point to their massive success? They became masters in using what they had.
How Two Friends Start Thier Journey to Wealth
Chapter 1 introduces a man named Bansir. Bansir was a working man in the prominent city of Babylon. He clocked in early building chariots for very wealthy individuals in order to support him and his family but always seemed to not have enough in his pocket at the end of the month. Bansir, like many of us lived paycheck to paycheck.
One day he sits on a wall in his front yard doing nothing but thinking about this problem when his friend Kobbi walks down the road towards him, stops, and asks for Bansir to lend him some money. Bansir replies by telling Kobbi that he does not have what he is asking and even if he did, it would be all he owned. Kobbi replies by asking that if he is as poor as he says he is, why is he sitting doing nothing?
Bansir discusses his problem with him and Kobbi shares that he is going through the same thing! Both of the men struggle with working long hours but at the end having nothing to show for it. Years and years have gone by with no evidence of their labor. Naturally they wonder and discuss if that is the life that their children will lead based on the example they are setting. They do not want this to happen, something has to change.
Their solution? They recall of an old friend of theirs who learned under the same master, had a similar upbringing to them and currently does not work as hard as them. Yet, he had a rightful claim to being the richest man in Babylon. His name was Arkad. So, with a newly found motivation they decided to go and ask Arkad how he laid claim to wealth so that they too may become wealthy and create additional income for themselves. And what they had most liked about this idea was that asking for wisdom was free!
In Conclusion
We can learn from both Kobbi and Bansir that working hard does not always mean that one will become wealthy. There are other parts of the equation that must be fulfilled. We also learn in this Chapter that inactivity and procrastination can keep you stuck in your current situation and that in order for you to obtain wealth, you must seek to learn it’s secrets and principles. A great place to start is asking the people you know who may be where or moving towards where you want to go already. Using resources around you which is repeated in the first chapter is why Babylon was so successful. We don’t know as of yet what wisdom Arkad will share with them, but what we do know is that Bansir and Kobbi are on their way to obtaining wealth by simply seeking out wisdom.
