The Law Of
Abundance
(...Continued
From Law Of Abundance Pt 1)
Nevertheless, ultimate responsibility for the individual’s
experience lies with the individual, not with the culture
into which he or she has been born. Awareness of the broader
social dynamics that promote a consciousness of lack, as well
as the inner ego drives that bind us to them, empowers us
to break, once and for all, the chains of psychological poverty
and lack. The law of Abundance addresses the root causes of
the psychology of lack, and how these can be overcome.
Ultimately, the system is
the ego. Freeing ourselves from the dominance and control
of this system will be our primary concern. What we see reflected
in the broader social and economic system—alienation,
attachment, struggle, resentment, craving for approval, competitive
hostility, pride, greed, and chaos—originate within
the ego. We are the system, or, as J. Krishnamurti put it,
long before the popular song: "We are the world."
The way of the ego necessarily produces a psychology of lack—one
that cannot be overcome, regardless of the quantity of money
or goods we accumulate. Alternatively, the way of the Tao
naturally yields a feeling of abundance, regardless of how
great or meager our accumulation of money and goods may be.
Though he was often without money, and at times even food,
William Blake’s poetry exudes abundance. As he put it:
I have mental joys and mental
health,
Mental friends and mental wealth,
I’ve a wife that I love and that loves me;
I’ve all but riches bodily.
This is not to say that we
should reject material wealth or shun the blessings that come
with it. With money, much good can be done and much unnecessary
suffering avoided or eliminated. Moreover, in the culture
we live in today, time is money and money is power. It takes
time to appreciate and enjoy life and all of its simple beauties.
It takes time to stop and listen to the voice of our true
selves. It takes time to develop our gifts and talents. It
takes time to learn and grow. It takes time to develop and
nurture meaningful relationships. And in making time for all
of these, money is a great help.
Money can also give us a measure
of freedom from the control of others and in this respect
is more important today than ever. Throughout most of human
history, one did not need money to live, that is, for the
basic necessities of life. For one unable or unwilling to
fit into society’s mold, there was always the option
of retreating to some remote place and subsisting on the land—an
option that isn’t really feasible today.
The Taoist values freedom
and preserving the dignity of the human spirit and, in this
respect, would not object to Humphrey Bogart’s assertion
that "the only point in making money is, you can tell
some big shot where to go." The idea here is not to express
(or harbor) hostility toward others but to affirm and follow
your own path, free from intimidation or the control of others.
The big shot might be a boss for whom you do soul-draining,
monotonous work—or a landlord or mortgage-holding bank,
whom you must pay for the privilege of a little peace and
quiet. In as much as money is an important factor in determining
the time we have to enjoy life and the power and freedom we
have in it, the pursuit of money is a worthy goal. On the
other hand, if we are looking to money to fulfill or satisfy
us, we are sure to be disappointed.
In lacking money, we too often
think a lack of money is our only problem. Money can give
us the time to appreciate the simple things in life more fully,
but not the spirit of innocence and wonder necessary to do
so. Money can give us the time to develop our gifts and talents,
but not the courage and discipline to do so. Money can give
us the power to make a difference in the lives of others,
but not the desire to do so. Money can give us the time to
develop and nurture our relationships, but not the love and
caring necessary to do so. Money can just as easily make us
more jaded, escapist, selfish, and lonely. In short, money
can help to free or enslave us, depending on why we want it
and what we do with it. In this respect, nothing has changed
in the two thousand years since Horace wrote, "Riches
either serve or govern the possessor."
The Role of Money - Law Of
Abundance
Money is a relatively simple
issue. There are only two important questions: (1) How much
do you need? (2) What is it going to cost you to get it? It
is keeping these two questions in mind that gives us a true
sense of money’s relationship to abundance. If we have
less than what we need, or if what we have is costing us too
much—in either case, our experience of abundance will
be incomplete. As things stand in the modern world, you need
money to eat, sleep, dress, work, play, relate, heal, move
about, and keep the government off your back. In what style
you choose to do each of these will determine how much money
you need, that is, your lifestyle. Remember in choosing your
style that it comes with a price tag. How much money it costs
is not the issue, but how much the money costs you is of critical
importance. Keep in mind:
Money should not cost you
your soul.
Money should not cost you your relationships.
Money should not cost you your dignity.
Money should not cost you your health.
Money should not cost you your intelligence.
Money should not cost you your joy.
When it comes to determining
how much you need, there are two important categories to keep
in mind. First, there are the material things you need to
keep body and soul together. Second are the areas of "need"
related to social status and position. With both, you have
a great deal of discretion. The ancient Taoist masters were
keenly aware of the cost of money and were particularly skeptical
of the cost of attaining social status and position. In the
Lieh Tzu, Yang Chu says:
In the short time we are here,
we should listen to our own voices and follow our own hearts.
Why not be free and live your own life? Why follow other people’s
rules and live to please others?
Why, indeed? In a recent study,
48 percent of the male corporate executives surveyed admitted
that they felt their lives were empty and meaningless. When
one considers the cultural taboos against such an admission,
the figure is surprisingly high and leads one to conclude
that the real number must be higher still. Many think they’d
be happy if they had enough money to give up working altogether.
Yet this is often only a reaction to the drudgery of working
day after day at things they find meaningless or even absurd.
In response to my previous books Zen and the Art of Making
a Living and How to Find the Work You Love, I receive many
communications from people about their experience of work.
One day, I received a phone call from a man halfway around
the world who, at forty-five, had never worked a day in his
life. As a beneficiary of a sizable inheritance, he was free
of the need to earn his daily bread. Yet he was not a happy
man. Indeed, he was deeply troubled by the fact that so much
of his life had gone by without his having expressed his own
talents or made a difference in the lives of others. Like
good health, spiritual growth, and nourishing relationships,
meaningful work is one of the abundances of life that we neglect
at our peril.
(...Continued
In Law Of Abundance Pt 3)
| Authors Details: Laurence G. Boldt,
author of Tao of Abundance Web
Site |
Articles On The Law Of Abundance
(The
Law Of Abundance Part 1)
(The
Law Of Abundance Part 2)
(The
Law Of Abundance Part 3)
(Abundance
& SynchroDestiny)
(Abundance
& Your Inner Child Pt1)
(Abundance
& Your Inner Child Pt2) |
