A small kid with plump cheeks scampered towards his wealthy dad in order to ask something, his cheeks were literally bounced like a bag of water. He approached his dad and placed his little hands on the thighs of his dad, who was working on a laptop. Looking very anxious, that small boy parted his lips into two to speak: "Daddy, how much money you earn in an hour?"

The wealthy dad narrowed his eyes, which somewhat diverted him from working. "Why are you asking this, son?" he inquired, but still didn't stop working completely.

Cheeks turned like a balloon, the little boy demanded, "Just tell me!"

A smile plastered on dad's face as he caught sight of his son's face turned reddish in anger. "About five-hundred dollars."

The boy smiled and immediately insisted, "Can you lend me two-hundred dollar?"

This demand of his little son spread disbelief his face; he couldn't figure out why in the world his little boy asking money. He rubbed his chin at first thought, thinking, the kid must be in playful mood. But then, he looked at the sweet and innocent smile that adorned his little son's lips, which melted his heart like a candle.

He took off two-hundred dollars from his wallet. The little boy grabbed the money in his left hand, and with other hand groped in his pocket. He took out another three-hundred dollar and summed up the money: that made a total of five-hundred dollar. 

He held the money towards his dad's clean shaved face and asked him with a mellifluous voice, innocently. "Take this five-hundred dollar and please give me your one hour."

*****

"People are so busy in their life that they don't even have time for their beloveds." Sid looked forward for a reaction from the audience he was speaking to, comprised of professors and students.

Ravi hawked and took initiative to speak out his part. "Hundred years ago. One scientist claimed that in the future humans will have no work to do. Because the presumption was, machines will do all the work. They say we spend money which we have not earned, to purchase the things, we don't want, to impress the people, we don't like."

"There are lies, bigger lies, and higher than that is, advertisements." Sid here criticized his own educational stream in which he was studying. Although many laughed, but the professors stared at each other with a startled look. They felt presentation is going off the track.

Right next to this, Sid narrated an incident from the life of Socrates. He was well known for his philosophical and frugal nature. Once Socrates went to a market; just goofing off. His friends were taken aback since Socrates was such person who didn't have a shopper's hunter. I was observing all the unnecessary things people purchase, Socrates told them.

A professor unexpectedly disrupted the presentation. "Hellooooo! This is not a college of philosophy. What the hell you guys even talking?" This gave fits of laughter to the students. Left both Ravi and Sid embarrassed.

"I told you. We'll be the butt of jokes by this presentation," Ravi whispered, while covering his mouth.

Sid turned his attention towards the audience, faking a confident smile on his bow-shaped lips. "We are talking about business ethics, professor."

There were a few chuckles ran off from some mouths. The professor rolled his eyes and grimace made its up upon on his face. "There were no topic in list of presentations as business ethics."

"There was, professor," Sid said. "Last on the list was Others. There was no specific mention what should be done in Others."

This time many laughed their head off, however, "silence" was the only word from the professor which shut everyone's mouth close.

"This philosophy will collapse like a palace of cards, when you will find out in the future that your friends have luxurious cars, expensive houses, and enormous wealth," the professor replied, he joint tip of his fingers together and leaned forward. "At that time you'll realize, this philosophy won't bring you a dime."

The truth was spoken, though.

"Still having a Lamborghini doesn't reduces one's anxiety epidemic," Sid replied and pressed his lips together in a thin line.

"But I would like to cry in a Lamborghini."

Silence spread across the hall, Sid did think for awhile before replying to this. "So, where is your Lamborghini?"

"Ah... I don't have a Lamborghini," the professor spoke inaudibly, but it was enough for most of the people to laugh their heads.

"So, possessing enormous wealth will make us truly happy?" Sid narrowed his eyes. 

"Yes!" the professor replied firmly. He stood up from his chair and placed a key on the desk, "This is the key of my Swift Desire." from another pocket, he pulled out one more key, "This is the key of my lavish bungalow—"

"And the key of contentment?" Sid interrupted.

"Nonsense!" the professor barked.

"I can prove it, sir. You stated these all are happiness, right? So could you tell us, when was the time, you were extremely happy?" 

Now, everybody turned towards the professor in what-you-gonna-say look. At first, the professor thought why in the world he needs to answer such questions. But the dice have been rolled. "Um ... Well, six months ago." 

A smirk ruled pinkish lips of Sid, as he was ready to set another trap of question. "How long does that happiness lasted?"

"Twenty minutes," the professor replied. 

"Alright, twenty minutes out of twenty four hours. Will you still be happy with that source of happiness?" Sid blurted out.

The professor went like, um, huh, but didn't have an answer. The students just burst out in laughter; the professor shot a furious look and screamed at them, because he felt so embarrassed.

"We, Indians, were spiritual since thousands of years," the professor of economics interrupted, "but look what we've got? Poverty, lack of sanitization, underdevelopment, lack for basic facilities. For this we should pursue artha (economics)."

A typical Nehruian argument, Sid thought. Actually he didn't hold great regards for Jawarharlal Nehru, who was the first Prime Minister of independent India. "Oh, I see, sir."

"See? I got you. India no longer needs her spiritual heritage," the professor said. "We need mind-boggling technologies, skyscrapers, and all that things which developed countries have. I wish to see India to become the superpower of world just like America. And we will be in the future."

Everyone clapped for this inspiring words, and a victorious smile sported on the face of economics' professor.

Sid was silent for a minute, but then he thought to show everyone the other side of coin. "I agree, India do have problems. But you see, grass is greener on the side."—Everybody narrowed their eyes, because they didn't get this one—"Let me read out some excerpts."

He reached for his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He was aware such argument can be raised, to which he was prepared for a refutation.

The excerpt reads:

The American paradox: Spiritual hunger in an age of plenty, by David G. Myers.

Since 1960, in America:
1) The divorce rate has doubled.
2) The teen suicide rate has tripled.
3) The recorded violent crime rate has quadrupled.
4) The prison population has quintupled.
5) The percentage of babies born outside marriage has sextupled.
6) Depression has soared to ten times the pre-World War 2 level.

Nearly one in five—forty million American adults—suffer from anxiety disorders, the most common class of psychiatric ailment we have. By comparison, a mere one in ten are plagued with mood disorders like depression, the second most-common class of psychiatric problems. — Daniel Smith, author of the new anxiety memoir Monkey Mind.

According to the 2002 World Mental Health Survey, people in developing-world countries such as Nigeria are up to five times less likely to show clinically significant anxiety levels than Americans, despite having more basic life-necessities to worry about. What's more, when these less-anxious developing-world citizens emigrate to the United States, they tend to get just as anxious as Americans." — Taylor Clark, author of Nerve.

"So, just being a developed country will solve every problem? I believe, India has such great spiritual heritage that she can become the world's first spiritual superpower." Sid locked his eyes at the professor, who was flabbergasted, then he moved his towards the audience.

There was pin drop silence as if everyone lost their ability to speak because the testimony of statistics were staggering. Surely many haunted with a question, will developed India become like America?

Out of the blue, someone started clapping. And because of him, few more clapped, like this, the entire class started clapping. When Ravi and Sid behold this unexpected round of applause from the audience, a grin flashed across their faces. They did realize, they'd done something out of the box. But we are living in the materialistic world, how can spirituality will have place in it?

The professors with a unison decided to discontinue the presentation. They felt it is too irrelevant. On the other hand, Sid and Ravi found disruption to be irrelevant.

Once India was famous for her spiritual heritage. Unfortunately, Indians have shrugged it off long ago, due to thousand years of slavery by Mughal empire and British rule.

Ravi and Sid prepared to leave the seminar hall, their faces was like a small kid who didn't get his favorite toy. Both of them walked off arrogantly while glaring at the lost people of this material world. Who are so lost that they don't even know they are lost.

********

Sid thrown his bag on the table of college cafeteria. They weren't taken aback to caught a glimpse few people being present in the cafeteria. Most of them were chit chatting, some were completing assignments.

Ravi waved his hand and called a waiter. He ordered him to bring two bottles of Tropicano (orange juice). Within a minute, the waiter brought it on the table. Ravi grabbed his, and pushed another one towards Sid, who was busy in his mobile.

Anger, grief, frustration, and helplessness were plastered on Sid's face, he had placed a finger over his lips. "I—I can't understand. Why people are not interested in spirituality?"

As a reply, Ravi simply shrugged his shoulder and heaved a sigh. This reply got on Sid's nerves, he slowly kicked his best friend and made him to break his reticence. "What!? You saw how people are ignorants. What can I do in that case?" Ravi snapped back.

Fair. Sid twitched his neck in exertion, he did agree with Ravi. "But one thing for sure, one don't have to be good or bad to get one's head around spirituality."

"Maybe we are swimming against the tide," Ravi said.

"Yet we can't deny people are unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives."

"Yeah, this can't be falsify either."

Sid placed his hands on the table and rested his cheek on his palm. Then he started drumming his fingers on the table. And began to murmur something; maybe a song. Ravi tried to hear what he was murmuring and placed his hands over his neck; gazing at Sid.

It's funny how people,
Just won't accept change
As if nature itself they'd prefer
re-arranged

So hard to move on
When you're down in a hole
Where there's so little chance,
To experience soul

Sid sang these lines and became silent. Being down in the dumps, Ravi with gesticulation of his eyebrows insinuated him to continue singing.

I'm grateful to anyone,
That is happy or free
For giving me hope
While I'm looking to see
Light that has Lighted the world

Ravi formed a pleasing smile on his face and inquired, "By the way, how's your psychic dreaming?"

"Well, I don't know if it's psychic dreaming, it's much like philosophical. Tomorrow I have an appointment with a psychiatrist. I wanna shut it off."

Unable to get the buzz about what he has heard just now, Ravi protested Sid's decision. His eyes went big, and confusion swallowed him up. "Damn! I wouldn't do that, if I was you."

Ravi stared at Sid's facial gesture, he observed two things: determined and unpersuasive. He thought to encourage his best friend, but he abated it since he knew what will Sid's reply be.

******

A/N: Why not give spirituality a chance? This chapter is particularly on the worldly mentality of people, the lost people. Something interesting will be happening in the next chapter, do you think Sid's decision to stop his psychic dreaming, good? Is that in his control or psychiatrist's? Please share, comment and vote.