How to Read “Treasure is what suits one’s station”
Takara wa mi no sashiawase
Meaning of “Treasure is what suits one’s station”
This proverb teaches that wealth and valuables serve as a means to protect yourself in emergencies. The true value of treasure lies not just in admiring it, but in having it ready to convert into money when you need to overcome difficulties.
Life brings unexpected hardships like illness, disasters, or sudden job loss. When such times come, saved wealth lets you pay for medical care, cover living expenses, or start fresh in a new place.
This proverb explains the importance of wealth as a safety net. It’s like having a walking stick before you stumble.
This way of thinking continues today through the importance of savings and building assets. However, the proverb doesn’t simply recommend hoarding money.
Its essence is teaching the wisdom of preparing for life’s unexpected events.
Origin and Etymology
The exact first appearance of this proverb in literature is unclear. However, we can make interesting observations from how the words are structured.
Let’s focus on the expression “sashiawase.” This word comes from the verb “sashiawaseru,” which originally means “to match up” or “to compare.”
Over time, it came to mean “to use when needed” or “to prepare for emergencies.”
Imagine the lives of common people during the Edo period. Fires, illness, and famine could strike at any time. There were no social security systems like today.
People needed some form of preparation to protect themselves. In such times, accumulating wealth wasn’t mere luxury. It was a survival strategy.
The word “treasure” is also suggestive. Here, treasure doesn’t only mean expensive things like gold or jewels.
It likely meant anything valuable that could be converted to cash in emergencies. Kimono, tools, rice, and grain were all fine “treasures” back then.
This proverb has been passed down through generations as wisdom for surviving uncertain times.
Usage Examples
- My father says “Treasure is what suits one’s station” and continues saving money little by little
- My savings helped me during a sudden hospitalization. Truly, “Treasure is what suits one’s station”
Universal Wisdom
This proverb has been passed down for so long because it shows how to deal with a fundamental human anxiety.
Humans cannot predict the future. No one knows for certain what will happen tomorrow or what situation they’ll face next year.
This uncertainty creates anxiety unique to humans. Animals focus on living today, but only humans think about “what if” and try to prepare.
What’s interesting is that this proverb positions wealth as something “to be used.” It doesn’t recommend hoarding like a miser.
Instead, it explains the value of keeping wealth in a state where you can “use” it when needed. This is truly practical wisdom that wealth has meaning only when it has liquidity.
Also, this proverb contains the spirit of “self-reliance.” Rather than depending on others, prepare to protect yourself.
This philosophy of independence was born from the experiences of ancestors who survived harsh environments.
At the same time, it’s not cold individualism. It proposes a responsible way of living where you can help others only after you stand on your own feet.
When AI Hears This
The human brain is designed to feel losses about 2.5 times more strongly than gains. This is the core of Prospect Theory, which won the Nobel Prize.
For example, compare the joy of gaining one million yen with the pain of losing one million yen. The pain of loss feels 2.5 times greater.
What’s important here is that when you possess treasure beyond your means, this loss aversion psychology starts to run wild.
When someone earning three million yen annually suddenly gets 100 million yen, that money transforms from “something gained” into “something that must not be lost.”
The psychological burden of trying to protect the treasure weighs on your heart 2.5 times heavier than the joy of obtaining it.
The endowment effect adds to this phenomenon. People evaluate things they’ve acquired at about twice their actual value on average.
When you possess treasure beyond your means, you can’t make calm judgments. The probability of falling victim to fraud or making reckless investments shoots up.
In fact, American research shows that bankruptcy rates among lottery jackpot winners jump to three to five times higher than average people.
This proverb shows not the danger of treasure itself, but the scientific fact that cognitive biases in the human brain run wild the moment they exceed one’s station.
The ancients saw through this psychological mechanism without experimental data.
Lessons for Today
For those of us living in modern times, this proverb teaches the importance of “preparation” in a broader sense, not just saving money.
Certainly, saving money is important. But what’s more crucial is accepting the reality that life brings unexpected turning points and having an attitude of preparing for them.
That preparation exists not only in monetary form, but also as skills, knowledge, and human relationships. Friends you can rely on in emergencies, qualifications useful for career changes, a healthy body—all of these are modern versions of “treasure.”
What matters is the balance between enjoying today and preparing for the future. You don’t need to sacrifice the present by becoming overly anxious.
However, being completely defenseless isn’t wise either.
Little by little, create your own “sashiawase” in your own way. That accumulation will surely bring you peace of mind and freedom of choice.
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