The Blue Roof

The Luckiest Man in Babylon 4

This is the last chapter of The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Classon. Please send me any questions or topics that you would like me to discuss in after completing this book.

Investigate this money making opportunity. 

Characters:

Sharru Nada – The Merchant Prince of Babylon

Arad Gula – Sharru’s partner

Hadan Gula – Arad’s grandson

Yesterday we ended with Megiddo stating that everything he had, he got by working hard and delivering more than expected.

One of his fellow slaves retorts: “And where are those things now?

That night Sharru was gripped by terror. He asked Godoso, the not so very friendly guard, if they would be taken to the wall the next morning. Godoso wanted to know why Sharru is asking.

Sharru answered: “Canst thou not understand? I am young. I want to live. I don’t want to be worked or beaten to death on the walls. Is there any chance for me to get a good master?”

“He whispered back, ‘I tell something. Thou good fellow, give Godoso no trouble. Most times we go first to slave market. Listen now. When buyers come, tell ‘em you good worker, like to work hard for good master. Make ‘em want to buy you. You not make ‘em want to buy you, next day you carry brick. Mighty hard work.’”

The following afternoon they entered Babylon and Sharru could see the thousands of slaves working on the wall. He could also hear the overseers cursing the laggards and hear the crack of the bull whips over the backs of those that fell out of line. If all motivating techniques failed, then they were carried of to “unsanctified” graves. Not a nice place to be.

The next morning they were taken to the market. The “brave” slaves who bragged how little they would do had to be whipped to stand up for inspection. Megiddo and Sharru, on the other hand, were standing at the fence, talking enthusiastically with every prospective buyer.

The King’s guard took the first “brave” slave away, beating him terribly as he resisted.

At a moment when Megiddo and Sharru was alone, Megiddo said this to Sharru: “Some men hate it (work). They make it their enemy. Better to treat it like a friend, make thyself like it. Don’t mind because it is hard. If thou thinkest about what a good house thou build, then who cares if the beams are heavy and it is far from the well to carry the water for the plaster. Promise me, boy, if thou get a master, work for him as hard as thou canst. If he does not appreciate all thou do, never mind. Remember, work well-done, does god to the man who does it. It makes him a better man.”

Soon after this, Megiddo was sold to a farmer.

Do you, too, know people who are always complaining about the boss, conditions, how unfair life is, how unappreciated they are? Have you ever considered them carefully? Everybody that I know who are like this, are unhappy, discontented people who fight windmills, because they believe it is dragons, just like Don Quixote.

Another time I will share with you my story to my children, in this regard.

The Luckiest Man in Babylon 2

This is the last chapter of The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Classon. Please send me any questions or topics that you would like me to discuss in after completing this book.

Characters:

Sharru Nada – The Merchant Prince of Babylon

Arad Gula – Sharru’s partner

Hadan Gula – Arad’s grandson

Sharru really wants to help Hadan, but, although he can offer lot’s of employment opportunities, it is worthless to somebody who considers himself too important to work.

Then he has a plan. “Wouldst thou be interested in hearing how thy worthy grandfather and myself joined in the partnership which proved so profitable? Sharru asked Hadan.

“Why not just tell me how thou madest the golden shekels? That is all I need to know.” Was Hadan’s answer, revealing how little he knows! Poor Sharru, he deserves a medal for patience! But good old Sharru ignores the answer and carries on.

“We start with those men plowing. I was no older than you thou. As the column of men in which I marched approached, good old Megiddo, the farmer, scoffed at the slip-shod way in which they plowed. Megiddo was chained next to me. ‘Look at the lazy fellows’, he protested, ‘the plow holder makes no effort to plow deep, nor do the beaters keep the oxen in the furrow. How can they expect to raise a good crop with poor plowing?’”

Hadan is more than surprised to learn that Sharru was once a slave. And his grandfather never mentioned anything. Sharru says that Hadan’s grandfather was a man to be trusted with the most innermost secrets. He enquires if Hadan has the same quality.

Sharru became a slave because of his brother’s indiscretions – most unfair and unjustly, as Hadan proclaims.

As the column of slaves passed the plowers, the plowers jeered and scoffed at them and reminded them of horror stories. One of the slaves, Pirate, said nobody will beat and threaten him, he would kill them first. To this Megiddo replied: “It doesn’t make sense to me to talk of masters beating willing, hard-working slaves to death. Masters like good slaves and treat them well.” A number of lessons in that wise statement!

Another slave asked: “Who wants to work hard? Those plowers are wise fellows. They’re not breaking their backs. Just letting on as if they be.”

Megiddo’s reply was: “Thou can’t get ahead by shirking. If thou plow a hectare, that’s a good day’s work and any master knows it. But when thou plow only half, that’s shirking. I don’t shirk. I like to work and I like to do good work, for work is the best friend I’ve ever known. It has brought me all the good things I’ve had, my farm and cows and crops, everything.”

I am going to stop here, for the moment. Because I think we need to think about Megiddo’s words. Too many people think they can make money by doing nothing (like Hadan). It is not true. We regularly see the end results, but rarely know what happened at the start. I am getting closer and closer to my goal of financial freedom and I can afford to a lot of things that I could only dream of a couple of years ago. That is what people see NOW. What they don’t see (saw) was the income I walked away from to pursue my dreams. They don’t see my income during that first months, when initially my first month’s income was LESS than my daughter at university’s pocket money. Yes, I am getting closer to my goal and to many people it may seem like a dream. But it took lots of hard work and I forfeited a lot in the short-term to reach this point.

I am currently investigating an internet based opportunity to generate income. It WILL take some time and money, but I can also earn money and the people I have spoken to says they make money. But you know how many people I speak to says: “I don’t want to do THIS.” “I don’t want to PAY to do this.” That’s the Hadan attitude. Check out the website – I did and got 9 days free to try it. You can do the same. Check it out here