The big difference is that business allows the transfer of wealth or value to be based on production, while gambling occurs without production. Sustained productivity creates added value. The system that drives the world in any country seeks to protect this productivity through legal or administrative power. If productivity does not improve, society will deteriorate. Interest represents the added value of the financial industry, serving as the price of time for lending money. Therefore, since interest is an abstract concept agreed upon by society, it does not create new values that did not exist through production activities. If interest leads to the transfer of wealth, someone inevitably experiences a sense of loss. There are two instances in which interest is permitted in the Bible: one is when nature’s productive forces yield fruit that did not previously exist, and the other is when the neighbor’s self-sacrifice is acknowledged. Thus, when interest is recognized as a price for supp...
Human relationships are intertwined, so loving and being loved cannot be quantified. There is rarely a scenario where love is given or received unilaterally. When someone with little experience in accepting love from others tries to love, their affection is likely to be selfish. Dedicating oneself to a loved one while refusing to accept that person’s devotion is akin to accepting a child’s cute movements while disliking their grumblings. Establishing an artificial relationship and preventing it from evolving beyond superficiality merely highlights one’s selfishness. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”