Economic figures may reflect complex social dynamics, but they cannot reflect the complete truth of human hearts. Just think, is there any immediate, overt meaning to those figures? Can we convert our views and feelings toward the world or our interactions with people into monetary figures?

If people feel they are lacking something because their paychecks are shrinking or because the value of their real estate is falling, it is time for them to seriously think about what "lack" really means. Actually we don't really need much in our daily lives. We just demand a lot more. Our desire becomes a bottomless pit and inflates vain fantasies. One individual's greed causes shortages for others, which in turn becomes the burden of society. This causes the rift between rich and poor, which in turn leads to social unrest. We can see many examples of this throughout human history.

There were riots in Indonesia not long ago. The economic crisis there certainly affected many enterprises, but ordinary people were the ones most hurt. Millions of Indonesians live below the poverty line established by the United Nations. Their average annual income is less than US$250. Their living conditions are very bad and their children lack the opportunity to receive a normal education.

Poverty is not limited to Indonesia alone. It is said that out of the 5.7 billion people in the world, 1.1 billion control eighty-three percent of the world income, while the poorest 1.1 billion people earn only 1.4 percent of the total income.

When the poor can hardly feed themselves and become socially marginalized, morality and law mean nothing to them. They may resort to robbing other people in order to survive. Actually, they need only some rice, sugar and cooking oil. In January this year, when Tzu Chi people distributed relief supplies to fifty thousand people in Indonesia, they saw many innocent, contented faces.

From this experience, we perceive that it is not poverty but greed that makes the world so chaotic. We believe that if we can compassionately extend our helping hands to people in need, there will be more peace in the world. To solve the problem of poverty, material goods are very important. But it is more important to treat the poor with compassion and to take concrete steps to help them.

Unlike money, which can be used up no matter how much you have, the compassion in our hearts can be cultivated endlessly. Unlike money, which often causes competition and conflict, compassion brings people together. The reason that Tzu Chi people are becoming more and more involved in international relief is not because they have a lot of money to give away, but because they are willing to put all of their strength and resources together to help the needy.

Compassion makes people rich. We have found that compassion can obtain that which money never can: contentment, gratitude and joy. The economics of good human nature will never cause social crises.