What Runs The World
It was late afternoon. The sun was shining across the basketball court, the pavement hot but cooling down just enough.
Tia wiped sweat off her forehead and sat down on the edge of the bench. Her water bottle was half empty, and so was her patience.
Across from her, Ishan sat with his knees pulled up. Maybe fifteen, with too big of a sneakers and deep in thought frown over his face. His laces were untied. Hair sticking up and looked like he’d been thinking way too hard for a Tuesday.
“Hey, Tia?” he asked, squinting against the sun.
“Yeah?”
“What runs the world?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”
“My mom said it’s money. Like, everything’s about money. She said if you don’t have it, you’re done for.”
Tia let out a small laugh, not at him, but at the bluntness of it.
“She’s not wrong,” she said, twisting the bottle cap open. “Money does a lot. Pays for food, school, clothes, even Wi-Fi. And people make some pretty big decisions just to get it.”
He looked a little smug. “So I was right.”
She smirked. “Hold on. I didn’t say it’s the whole truth.”
He tilted his head. “Then what else is there?”
Tia leaned back. “Mindset,” she said. “It’s also about choices, beliefs and fear.” She pointed to her chest. “That’s where money gets tricky. It’s not just money, it’s the feelings behind it. Fear of not being enough. Pride. Insecurity. Wanting to fit in. Vanity.”
He stared at her, thoughtful.
“I mean,” she went on, “you’ve seen it. Parents keeping tracks over bills. People showing off stuff online just to feel important for a second. Friends playfully fumbling over to pay. That’s not just about money. That’s emotions, running the show through money.”
“So… feelings run the world?”
“Exactly,” she said, tapping the bench. “The decisions we make? The way we treat people? It all starts with what’s happening inside. Someone gets ignored a lot? Maybe they grow up always needing attention. Someone else gets picked on? They might become super controlling.”
He blinked. “Dang.”
Tia nodded. “Yeah. Dang.”
He was quiet for a bit, then said, “So if people felt better, the world would be better?”
She smiled. “That’s the idea. If we can figure out our emotions and not ignore them or let them explode, we make better choices. Kinder ones. Smarter ones.”
He kicked a pebble. “So… should I still try to make money or not?”
“Chase value,” she said. “Be good at something. Learn stuff. Help people. Money usually comes after that. But if you just chase money and ignore who you are? You’ll get lost.”
She paused, then added, “Like in that movie 3 Idiots, remember that line?
‘Kaamyabi ke peeche mat bhaago. Kabil bano, kaamyabi jhak maarke tumhare peeche aayegi.’”
(Don’t run after success. Become capable, and success will follow you automatically.)
He nodded slowly, tying one sneaker. “That actually makes sense.”
“And hey,” she added, standing up, “don’t forget: everyone’s carrying something inside. But what’s in there matters. Feelings do run the world. But so do people who are brave enough to face them. And just so you know being strong isn’t about acting tough. It’s about carrying your own fire without letting it burn everything around you.”
Ishan stood too. “You should seriously write a book.”
Tia laughed. “Maybe I will. But for now, let’s get ice cream before McD’s runs out again.”
- Monisha Vyas
