To avoid hardship in old age, one must practice contentment in youth; saving is essential for a smooth life in later years. When I started working, I had no capital, and the work I did was low-income. I earned six tomans a day; I saved three tomans of it, setting it aside. At the end of the month, what I had saved went towards the down payment for a carpet; there wasn’t much else I could do with that money; I couldn’t undertake any significant projects, but I figured this way, I could accumulate some capital. I paid a monthly installment of one hundred and twenty tomans; each carpet was one thousand and two hundred tomans. For several years, I saved half of my daily income until I had four carpets; at that time, our own carpet at home was worn out, but we didn’t use those carpets.
Someone near Boraghan Street had five hundred square meters of land they wanted to sell; they asked for five thousand tomans. I inquired, “Would you exchange it for carpets?” They agreed, “Bring them, let me see”; eventually, they accepted, and we made the deal, transferring the land to my name.
Later, an interesting incident occurred; there were two brothers, builders, we called them architects. I saw them and said, “I have a piece of land, if you’re interested, I’ll sell it to you.” They replied, “We don’t have money, but we can enter a partnership.” I didn’t like the way they wanted to work; I said, “No, build on it, sell it, and then pay me.” They agreed; they were to pay me ten thousand tomans once they built and sold the property. They constructed four small houses; sold three and kept one for a long time; back then, it was on the city’s border, but later it became central. Eventually, they paid the ten thousand tomans, and we settled our account. After that, I found another piece of land near Dr. Homayoun Street, Gandom Bakhsh alley; I bought it for ten thousand tomans. I had an acquaintance who was an architect, a very good person; he was childless. I told him, “I’ve bought this land; do you want to build on it?” He agreed to build, sell, and then pay me twenty thousand tomans. The architect built four units; sold one, paid for the materials; then suggested I live there. I agreed; he lived on the first floor, we lived on the second. In that house, my daughter nearly fell from the second floor; we lived there for two years; then the architect sold the house, paid me twenty thousand tomans, and kept the rest. Again, I was looking for a house; this time, I found two; we agreed on thirty-two thousand tomans. How much money did I have? Only twenty thousand tomans. We arranged for a promissory note and incremental payments. Each of those houses had several floors; we moved into one of them. Later, I gave one block to Mr. Kamali. He was once my mentor; I settled with him at the same price I had purchased it. Since that building was better, Kamali paid two thousand tomans more, which I used to settle debts. It took some time to settle and finish the promissory notes.
About a year had passed since the completion of the Karaj Dam; houses in that area were going underwater; the government compensated residents to move out. Suddenly, a large influx of people came to Karaj looking for homes; a thousand people were seeking houses; this drove up the house prices. I had an expert price the house at forty thousand tomans. I sold it and bought an old house in Hasar for seventeen thousand tomans; I repaired it and we lived there for a few years; then sold it for fifty thousand tomans and again bought land in Karaj; I built on it, we moved in, and we are still leaving there.
In life, one must be patient, content, and live healthily; indulgence and lack of contentment lead to failure. If we had spent that initial five thousand tomans in the first year, nothing would have remained; those daily three tomans, with patience, turned into a house now worth millions of tomans after a few years. One must be content, not expecting to become wealthy overnight; otherwise, one must either claim entitlements or resort to theft. Success doesn’t come instantly; it requires time, care, perseverance, patience, and contentment. Today’s youth are impatient, they get involved, torture themselves, and upset those around them; yet, if they are patient, content, avoid extravagance, and plan for the future, they will succeed. When I bought my first house, I knew the city would expand, and that area would become central.
With the five thousand tomans I received from my father, I bought a piece of land in Hasanabad for seven thousand tomans. At that time, the whole village was communal property, divided into ninety-six shares. After a while, the lands were partitioned; I ended up with twenty-five thousand square meters. They laid out streets and built a square there; it took forty years for those few parcels to appreciate to a value of several million tomans. Honesty, integrity, and contentment must go hand in hand for a person to succeed; if one starts life correctly, they will ultimately succeed. The contentment of my youth is why I am at peace in my old age; the greatest misery for a person is poverty in old age. One must consider old age in their youth; the elderly lack the strength to work, and this is the greatest torment for a person. As one ages, their eyesight, brain, and hands no longer function well, and they may need to walk with a cane; these are things one must consider in their youth. If a person is not in need in old age, they can endure all these difficulties, but life for a needy person is hell. Of course, poverty in youth is also hard, but the young can work, earning at least enough for their daily bread; but the elderly cannot, they are incapacitated. I speak from my experience, so others know how to live without need. Indeed, honesty in life is very important; at one time, I bought a piece of land with the agreement to pay for it over nine months, but I settled it in three months; the seller said, “I am building a house in Tehran, what you did was a great help. I am an important person, if you need anything, just tell me”; later, I referred two tasks to him, one for myself and one for another; he completed both. Honesty is a capital in itself, especially for the youth who want to build their lives.