Money alone isn't enough!

(Baonghean) - Over the past few days, the press has been extensively reporting on a petty theft case in Lam Dong. It wouldn't have caused such a stir if the main suspect wasn't the same person who once shocked the entire country with stories of being mistreated and abused like medieval slaves at a shrimp farm in the far southwestern region of Vietnam. The story, initially full of tragedy, suddenly took a turn resembling a modern-day fairy tale. The perpetrator was punished, the innocent, naive child was "rescued" and given a new lease on life in the loving embrace of family and strangers who were kind and compassionate. However, the wind has changed direction… And in that “change of direction,” there are many things worth pondering.

Over five years ago, Hào Anh, a young boy, caused a stir and brought tears to the eyes of the Vietnamese community because he was abused and mistreated like an animal by the owners of a small shrimp farm. Those nearby rushed to comfort, care for, and console him. Those far away who couldn't visit sent money as a way to alleviate the physical and emotional pain of the unfortunate child. They provided material support and opened up opportunities for the unfortunate child to change his life. At that time, the whole society was stirred up by Hào Anh, and countless feelings, hopes, and expectations were placed on him: with such boundless care and support, the boy would grow up to be a good person. And the fairy tale they wrote would have a happy ending. The boy would become a symbol of the compassion and tolerance of the Vietnamese people.

But life is full of ironies and twists. The more you hope, the more disappointed you become. The poor boy from before has grown up. But he hasn't grown up as many people expected. Last year, having reached adulthood and being free to use and spend the money donated by benefactors, he became a young man who squandered money and lived a lavish lifestyle, just like a rich spoiled kid. He constantly changed phones and cars, and indulged in wild drinking sprees. He even kicked his mother and stepfather out of the house built with the donations. When condemned and fined for evicting his family from their legal residence, he promised himself, "I will start over. I will live independently and support myself." Once again, people hoped for a positive change from this notorious and troubled young man.

But then, everyone who had followed Hao Anh's life was truly shocked when they learned that the "fairy tale character in real life" they had once cherished and nurtured had been arrested for theft on July 6th. People were disappointed, saddened, and had every right to blame the wayward young man for betraying the kindness and trust of so many good-hearted people. The fault lay entirely with him. But besides giving him money and offering words of comfort and love, did anyone think about carefully guiding and instructing him on his responsibility to himself, his family, and society? People assume that turning 18 automatically means maturity. But for a boy who was abused from a young age, lacked proper upbringing and education, and was deprived of parental love, he could never be normal like other young people. So the more than 800 million dong that fell into his hands quickly vanished into thin air. And then, in his desperation, he resorted to stealing. He didn't steal out of "hunger" (he wasn't hungry because his monthly salary was already 5 or 6 million dong). But he did steal out of desperation, because he was used to spending money lavishly.

And it's not just this young man, Hao Anh, who is like that. There are many other young people in society today who live irresponsibly and spend money recklessly. Many parents work tirelessly to earn money, thinking that providing their children with a comfortable life is enough, forgetting to instill in them a sense of responsibility towards themselves and money. As a result, many spoiled children from wealthy families have become criminals in an instant because of their habit of extravagant spending. That's why, to avoid spoiling their children, many millionaires and billionaires don't leave their children much money, wanting them to work for it themselves. Only by sweating and toiling to earn every penny will people learn to appreciate money and use it wisely. Only then can they become truly decent people. Last May, Hong Kong billionaire Yu Pang Lin passed away, leaving a will that left nothing for his children and donated his entire fortune, worth approximately $2 billion, to charity, arguing: "If my children are more capable than me, there's no need to leave them a lot of money. If they are incompetent, having a lot of money will only harm them." Bill Gates, the world's richest man, also once declared that he would only leave his children 0.05% of his total assets. Billionaire Warren Buffett wrote a will leaving only 10% of his assets to his children, with the rest going to charity... They do this because they understand that there is something more valuable and important than money: equipping their children with a sense of responsibility to themselves, their families, their communities, and society, and the ability to fulfill that responsibility. They are also aware of the hidden dangers of letting young people use money that hasn't been earned through their hard work. Returning to Hao Anh's story, if the charitable donations had been accompanied by continued support from his family, community, and society, who showed him love, care, and patience to compensate for his shortcomings, things might have turned out differently.

This shows that giving love and money is not enough; we also need to equip people with responsibility and hone their life skills. Money alone is not sufficient.

Buddha Mountain