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Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Aligning Money with your Personal Values


The purpose of all life is development and enrichment. Every Human Being, in fact, every living thing, has an inalienable right to all the development to which it is capable.

A Human Being’s right to life implies his right to have the free and unrestricted access of all things which may be necessary to assist him realize his fullest mental, spiritual, and physical potential. In other words, every human being has the right to be rich and enjoy everything life has to offer.

There are three major motives for our lives: We live for our body. We live for our mind. And, we live for our soul. These three constituents are, at the same time, both highly distinctive of each other, as well as highly inter-dependent from each other.

In the words of author, Judith Powell, it is not only our right to achieve advancement in these three areas, but also our responsibility. We have been provided with a remarkable vehicle to play our part in the universal game, and to shirk this responsibility is not only undesirable but also unpardonable.

But, in the world we live in, this is surely easier said than done. Everything we need or want has to be purchased for a price. Life has become so complex that even the most ordinary of human beings needs a great amount of money to satisfy his need for a fuller life.

Living for the Body
Living for the body means adequate food, comfortable clothing and shelter; and freedom from undesirable or excessively strenuous work. Rest and recreation are also highly important to our physical well being.

Living for the Mind
Living for the mind implies access to good, thought-provoking books and time to read them, opportunity for travel, for intellectual activities, for observation and analysis, for appreciating works of art, music and beauty. Mental unfoldment of a human being requires freedom to think creatively and manifest his dreams into reality.

Living for the Soul
Living fully for the soul means that one must have the capacity for love and contribution. It is difficult for us to play our roles of a son, a daughter, a father, a mother, a brother, or a sister if we do not have enough money. Ingrained in the concept of love is the sense of giving. The satisfaction one desires out of a spontaneous gesture of giving is worth a fortune. Just as important is to make a meaningful contribution to others among us; to people who have not been as fortunate as we have been. It may be noted that such a contribution need not require a whole lot of money. Even a small contribution (based on one’s capacity and circumstances), which makes a difference in somebody’s life, can provide immense satisfaction to us.

At the same time, life cannot be treated in a piece-meal manner. Life has to progress as a whole. You cannot leave the body behind, and live merely for the mind. Similarly, you cannot leave the spirit behind, and live merely for the body. All three - Body, Mind and Spirit (or Soul) have to be carried together. As a human being, it is our responsibility to achieve this balance. And, this balance has needs to be fulfilled, for which one needs an adequate amount of money.

Hence, it is our inherent right to be rich.

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