When we hear of someone being wealthy, the natural reaction is to be envious. Some of us may even turn jealous, that is, get upset about it. This feeling is true of other opulences - beauty, knowledge, fame, strength, etc. Why is this so ? Because it is easy to quantify the opulence of money, whereas other opulences are difficult to quantify.

However, if we really wish to be envious and then do something constructive abut it, we should be jealous of someone’s quality of life because that is the real index by which any person should be judged. Having money is important to have a good life, but it is only one of the factors. There have been countless people who possessed a lot of money but were miserable.

I have listed twenty four factors by which life should be judged. These have not been listed in their order of importance, since they are all crucial to have a quality life.

Beginning with health, one cannot even enjoy wealth unless one is healthy. All sacrifices, including that of taste, are worth it to attain good health. Money, as stated earlier, is very important. Unless someone is self-sufficient on matters relating to money, life can be quite miserable.

A the same time, we need to be peaceful. It is said that one should be ready to pay any price to gain peace.

Is our profession or engagement matching our nature ? Do we like what we do ? How many friends one has ? Life can be quite miserable without quality friends.

Do we have faith in God ? Faith brings us what even money cannot. Are we able to control our natural tendencies, such as anger, lust or greed ? Can we control the forces of our stomachs, genitals ?

Are we courageous enough to accept our share of inevitable suffering ? Do we feel love towards fellow-beings ? Without love, one is no better than a stone. How many hobbies one has in order to avoid boredom ? Comforts, too, are quite important to to have a good life ; we need few facilities to lead a good well.

Without the right knowledge, one would be lost, or will lose what one has. We need to have a bright future. And anyone who cannot tap on a bunch of expert teachers will make costly mistakes. Do we have simple tastes ? Can we adjust most anywhere ?

Is our family a happy one ? Do we have a good routine ? We should be neither too rushed or have nothing much to do. Do we have taste for spiritual activities, such as for chanting, meditation ? What is our standing in our society ? How are we perceived ? Do we possess some creative talent ? Are we working on it ?

Have we compromised our future for money or some other thing so that the life has become quite complicated ? Are we going through unbearable suffering ? Is fear a big factor in our lives ?

To have a good quality of life, we need to work on not one but all these factors. If we work on them, we don’t need to be jealous of anyone, no matter how much money or worldly comfort one possesses.