Fulfillment, not Filled Pockets

From the Roots of Asia Tarot, the King of Swords; from the Mah Jongg Oracle, Sword:

If we are making spiritual progress, don’t judge by how many visions or kind of lights one sees. What we have to look at is how one behaves. Have I become less selfish? Has my world narrowed down or has it expanded? Do I feel bad for the child next door or is it only for my child?

— Sri Madhukarnath ji 

          The booklet suggests this King represents spiritual fulfillment from earthly endeavors. In other words, he's looking for something more substantial than self-indulgence; he knows that pleasurable feelings lasts about as long as a lightning strike. He represents the middle way when it comes to our resources, neither asceticism nor excess, but a meaningful use of them. But the Sword card - symbolizing a dilemma - suggests what happens when when find ourselves with a surplus. One part of the brain tells us to go crazy and splurge, and the other says to save it for an emergency. The King would tell us to use some, save some and share some. But only if we are looking for fulfillment rather than a momentary high.