I HAVE always wanted to remain a God-fearing man leading a righteous life while enjoying the comforts of modern life. The trouble is, righteousness and affluence often do not go together. The cost of living has been going up and to live a decent life costs money that is easier to come by through dubious means.

Some scriptures seem to be against the rich. They say it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. They also have a word of solace for the poor, almost coaxing them to remain poor by saying that blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I am confused about the existence of heaven and hell, but I don’t want to take any risks. If one can enter heaven due to his good deeds on Earth, he can be assured of a happy “life” after death. The sinners, it is said, are bound to go directly to hell and be eternally fried there in the company of the rich and famous. Another religious text claims that after death, we are reborn as one of the 84 lakh species, taking on the mantle of one based on our actions during our earthly life. I’ve often wondered what shape I’ll take in my next incarnation. Some say that the rich always get richer and the poor get poorer. One of our countrymen lives in a 27-floor house with hundreds of rooms. He often gets threatened and blackmailed, but the Government is there to give all kinds of protection to him. As I would not know what to do with all those rooms, I would be happy to have a house with enough space for everyone and occasional guests.

I don’t want to stand in queues to get my ration of food grains and other necessities every few days. I would also like to have my own vehicle instead of availing of the services of public transportation on crowded buses and trains.

Bringing up children has become a costly affair. A good education at a good school or college is expensive. If my children are bright enough to pass the entrance tests and want to pursue higher education in lucrative fields, I’ll have to pay higher fees to get seats from the management quota. All services, including medical, are expensive. I have often been reading reports of people dying of hunger in different parts of the world due to several reasons. The new generation knows all about modern life and often demands facilities that their friends enjoy. Even going to a movie in a multiplex needs a heavy purse, what with the packets of popcorn, soft drinks, and other items sold much above the MRP printed on them. Going out to eat has become an in-thing among the middle and upper classes, where one has to pay through the nose for the food and tip the employees, including the security man who rushes to keep the door of your car open for you. They would show you the photos of their friends having a luxurious lunch in an expensive hotel, uploaded instantly on social media.