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Money and Happiness
I have never accepted that money was the root of all evil. Yet the way of peace has to face the current dominance of greed.
Some liberal Christian theologians have tried to soften Christ’s apparently blanket condemnation of riches by saying that what he really meant was that love of money is at the root of all evil. The semantic difference is that in the first statement money causes evil while in the second it is only associated with it.
The issue of money and spirituality has changed since Saint Francis of Assisi formed a band of impoverished brothers. Saint Francis took literally a Biblical passage in which Christ says to his disciples, “You have received the Gospel without payment, give it to others as freely.”
Begging monks were a tradition that was already centuries old in India and China.
The basic problem with money seems obvious: It pulls the mind toward worldy things, it fills up one’s hours with business and commerce, it distorts the true values of spirit by replacing them with pleasure and possessions. To me, this doesn’t say that money is evil or nonspiritual. It says that money is a distraction, and sometimes so powerful a distraction that people fail to go beyond it.
The failure here is to unite spiritual and material values, but I believe the way of peace shows us that this is not only desirable but totally necessary.
If you live as though money brings the only happiness, clearly something has gone wrong. Without holding moral judgments against money, I must accuse riches of being a terrible distraction. They hold us in the grip of a false self-image, that of being creatures whose purpose on earth is to be prosperous and secure.
Our real purpose on Earth is very different, as every spiritual tradition recognizes.
We are here to evolve and grow.
We are here to discover who we are.
We are here to transform our surroundings in keeping with who we really are.
Great spiritual teachers have said that we are ultimately here to transcend matter, to worship our maker, to appreciate the infinite creation and learn humility before it. All those things may emerge once we know who we really are. That is life’s central mystery, and money doesn’t come close to answering it.
Adapted from Peace is the Way, by Deepak Chopra (Three Rivers Press, 2005).
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19 comments
add your comment »In the Bible it is written that-The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil-not money it's self.He shall suppy all our needs not all our wants-I think that we(some people)love material things a little too much and look how we make some people richer than rich just to be entertained-Golf,football,baseball,actors ect.Our priorities are all messed up.
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Linda B elaborate on your answer "gospel of wealth". And what is the liberal gospel ?
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I am sorry, but when a family is on the verge of losing a house, such as my family is, money is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Yes, I do think I deserve to be secure enough that the bank isn't going to come & rip the house out from under me, my 3 sisters & my parents & pets. If that's wrong, then I admit to being wrong. But a house is something that I personally cannot do without, under any circumstances.
I don't think money is the answer to everything, nor do I want it to eat/wear/sleep on or breathe in. Corporate giants like that should be torn down & are unacceptable because they further the greediness. But as I said, I do need clothes on my back, a house to live in & food to eat. Ergo, money is a necessity for that reason, & I don't apologize for needing it for that purpose. But I do agree that holding onto it for riches sake, just to be able to flaunt it/say you have it just to have it is wrong. If the rich helped the poor instead of showing it off, we'd all be in better positions.
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Chopra has it backwards. It is Conservative Christians who preach the "gospel of wealth", not liberals. He needs to read some of Jim Wallis' work.
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"money is a good servant, not a good master", I've heard quoted from Christian scripture. "the life is the experience", Jesus said. If we would all "do unto others, as we would have them do unto us", as Jesus also said, I believe we would all enjoy a more bountiful and satisfying life. Also where monies and living is concerned.
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Thanks for that info Lisa...unfortunatly I cannot be in Dublin today but I shall tune in at the universal level at 4pm.
All you say Subramaniam about the greater picture is of course very true and of great importance.
The greater picture is created by everybodys individual effort and imput...looking at the greater picture and analysing what has happened is very necessary to understand the trends and explain the poverty ..however it has already happened!
As an individual living in the moment we really have a great power, opportunity and responcibility to the rest of the world to affect peace and harmony in whatever we are doing right now..even when dealing with money.
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Money has to be viewed with a discerning mind.Is it the be all and end all,No.Is it necessary,Yes.Between the No and the Yes lies a delicate balance.In fact one of the fascinating discoveries of human civilization is the concept of money that enables transfer of material wealth and value across border in a jiffy,thanks to technology.However,whether by divine design or Karmic connotations the human kind suffers due to disparities in the distribution of it and this resulted in greater disparities with averice and greed goading the hoarding instinct and herding attitudes for comfort. Yes the wealthy congregate in their social grounds and talk more about success and possessions and as a pastime or for better visibility make feeble efforts to share and support dispersal of wealth for common good.The question is whether this constitutes spirituality.The greater question is will charity and funding solve the greater problems of increasing disparity.These become political questions and what is a matter for the soul is being contented and understanding that teaching to fish is more important than giving away fish.
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I read a T-Shirt recently:
"Work like you don't need the money,
Love like you were never hurt, and
Dance like no one is watching."
Tomorrow, July 9th at 4pm (GMT) (8am PST) in Dublin, Ireland, Deepak Chopra and David Simon will lead a one-hour worldwide meditation for peace, harmony, and love on the planet.
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Money is just as important as spiritual awakening...we need both!
I think the problems begin when we begin to compare and it gets all tangeled up when we put money matters in the way of truth.
Money is money...needed to buy groceries and pay the rent. Awakening to the truth is not a comodity we can buy at the local store. So all thoes wise guys who promise wealth as the answer to all our problems..costing just $250 to sign up for "the package" which will take us there is just another illusion and marketing gag.
But I would say...go for it....do it..until one is really convinced and has done it..they will never be satisified...these are the usual obstacles on the way. I think it has to hurt bad enough before it really sinks in....for me anyway...unfortunately. However I have survived to tell the tale and see it also as my stepping stone to whre I am today. Money was never important to me but really I have wasted money and not handeled it properly because of the stigma attached to it and also the churches teaching colored my thinking too. When money is no longer a priority it begins to flow freely and there is always enough. So now I am concentrating on the spiritual; strengthning mind and character and as a spin off (clarity in our thinking and dealings with others too) money issues really take care of themselves.
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Money is not evil if used wisely. It can be used to do so much good, its not money, its people who give money a bad name. (smile)
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