by Jayaram V
The universe is a manifestation of abundance in the material plane.
Our thoughts
of scarcity are but products of our illusion and the belief that we are
separate from the rest of creation. They are perpetuated by our self
limiting thoughts and actions, propelled by our egos. We suffer from
want because we cannot identify ourselves with our own infinity. If we
can move out of the imaginary circle that we build around ourselves, in
which we would like to store our possessions and things we believe are
ours, we will experience the fullness of creation and the heights of
fulfillment. This is however not possible for all. To experience the
richness of life, we must be willing to give away our riches and live
with the confidence that somehow we will be taken care of or we can take
care of ourselves. But can we?
The universe is an embodiment of God. Filled with billions upon billions of
galaxies and vast distances, it truly reflects His infinity, vastness,
power and richness. There
must be countless planets out there containing resources beyond our
wildest imagination, entire planets made of precious metals,
hydrocarbons, rich minerals and rare metals. If we look beyond the earth, into
the vast spaces of the universe, we stare into an infinity of riches, resources,
possibilities, solutions and opportunities. Using them we can create
prosperity and abundance for the entire humanity beyond our wildest
dreams for billions of years. Yet a little explosion in an oil field
somewhere in a remote desert upsets the global stock markets and sends the
crude oil prices to soar quickly! While the sun glares and radiates immense
energy all day from above, down below we are constantly worried by the
depleting energy resources and increasing fuel costs.
Scarcity exists in our minds and haunts all of us most of the time.
What we do not do to avoid the dread of poverty! Fear of loss and possibility of becoming
poor or homeless or jobless keeps us constantly
worried, anxious and insecure. We are driven by these fears because we
believe we are alone and separate from the rest of the humanity. For the
greater part it is true because in this world each is unto himself or
herself with nothing much to expect from others in the form of sharing
or caring. Self interest is the main motivating
force behind most of our actions. We believe in the survival of the
fittest and want to win this race called life by all means even if it
meant extreme hardship and excluding others from sharing our joys and
sorrows. Unfortunately this competitiveness keeps every one unfulfilled,
anxious,
secretive, lonely and insecure.
We remain this way for the greater part of our lives because we
strongly believe that we have to be a winner to be happy and that
success in a competitive manner
alone creates prosperity. We are not
conditioned to cooperate with
one another to create prosperity and abundance for every one. In our
plans and schemes we conveniently shut others out who do not contribute
to our success. We may be generous enough to include a few
family members or a god or pet in our wills but when it comes to money
when we are alive we are mostly selfish and our generosity becomes
limited by our fears and insecurities. Once we create the wealth we will draw
elaborate plans to protect it from ourselves and from others. We evolve systems and procedures,
even powerful laws, weapons and security measures, to
exclude others effectively from any possibility of using it or sharing it.
This exclusive and possessive approach to wealth creates
deep divisions within society and leads to social unrest and violent
revolutions. No one individual is responsible for this behavior. We all
do it constantly, and since it seems so natural, we are not even
aware of the backlash it creates in the form of increasing poverty and
misery.
The universe is rich. It is filled with abundance. No proof is
necessary to prove it other than gazing into a star studded night sky. Collectively we all are rich. In the universe
that is known to us so far, we are the only intelligent beings capable
of harnessing its resources in numerous ways. Barring aside a few
controversial UFO sightings we do not know of any competitors who can
compete with us in using the resources of
the universe. But strangely we all act and behave as if the earth is the
final frontier of our civilization and we have limited resources!
Even in matters concerning our planet, we are limited by our beliefs.
The energy hidden in an atom or the energy that the earth
receives in a single day or the energy that is released in a single
flare of a lightning can be richly exploited to ensure abundant and
unending supply of energy. But we are unable to do it because we do our research and
development in a clandestine manner to make commercial profit through
patenting which prevents the possibility multiplying the possibility of
our success. We do not share the results of our research with others in
the field because there is so much of commerce and competition. We
perpetuate monopolies and patented technologies in order to keep the
wealth flowing to a few individual while a great majority that uses them
are forced to pay extra price towards the very research and development
whose benefits are enjoyed by a few.
Abundance creates more abundance while scarcity creates more scarcity. This
is the law of the universe. If people are wealthy, there will be more
vigorous circulation of wealth in the world and a more vibrant global economy. But we
do not appreciate this logic. The suppliers want to sell their products but
does little to improve the conditions of the poor who cannot buy their
products. This limits their chances of having more customers and thereby
making more money.
Abundance is inherent in our existence and in God's creation. It is
all around us. It also exists in each of us in the form of immense potentiality
which we all possess. With right intention, attention and
effort, we all are capable of achieving our dreams and aspirations. We can do it much more effectively,
if we create a world system based upon cooperation
rather than competition, where we would make a cooperative effort to create prosperity
not just for ourselves but for others also.
We all are part of one creation and
share the same inner essence. In God's consciousness there is neither
rich nor poor. There is just one being in numerous forms and situations.
What one owns is owned by all and what is owned by all is also owned by
one. There is also unconditional love which keeps abundance flowing and
circulating the whole creation with full intensity.
This is the law of abundance. Exclusive ownership limits our
abundance where as inclusive ownership leads to happiness and more
abundance. We have abundant evidence of people suffering from anxiety
and depression even when they have abundance in their lives. They suffer
because they are constantly striving to keep their wealth and protect it
from being lost or reduced. Their attachment makes them more obsessed
and possessive. They suffer because they cannot trust themselves or even
God. They suffer from guilt because they want to be wealthy at the cost
of others happiness.
The right approach to wealth therefore is to own it and facilitate
its flow just the way God would. God is rich because He owns everything.
God is rich also because truly He does not need anything. He owns everything
in the universe. Yet is he is absolutely free because he remains
detached all the time. So should we.
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