RIGHT #08: the Right to true WEALTH

“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for men who do little that is useful to amass fortunes of millions of dollars, while millions of men & women who work long & hard for most of their days earn barely enough to live.” ~ inspired by Eugene Debs

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for … is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.” ~ Mother Teresa

The “Pursuit of Happiness”, long considered an Inalienable Right by many, has for many years been equated with striving to accumulate an abundance of money and possessions … a full bank account, a nice home, financial security for the future, a life of comfort & pleasure & fun. For most folks, this vision represents “the Good Life” … For most, this is “the American Dream” … For most, this is what it means to be wealthy.

And, even though it is true that there is theoretically more than enough money & food & land for everybody to enjoy such opulence, that it is indeed hypothetically possible for everyone on the planet — be it via manufacture or manifestation, to drink from flagons of fortune and eat from plates of plenty, the fact remains that the very few who currently own so much are, for the most part, still choosing not to share with the very many who have so little.

Even though more than enough resources exist to assuage all the world’s material sufferings, most of the poor have no access to those resources — and most of them therefore are still destined to lead lives of lack.

…..

In the past, our politicians tried to remedy this injustice by redistributing our wealth, and yet the rich have long since bought our politicians (indeed, most of our politicians are themselves rich), so this is no longer a viable option …

In the past, our religious leaders inspired us to care for the poor in our neighborhoods (and some still do so today), and yet for the most part our churches have only succeeded in encouraging us to care for others when & where it is convenient — with most of our preachers & pastors becoming quite wealthy in the process themselves …

In the past, determined men & women could literally work their way out of poverty; they could use raw diligence and sheer determination to do whatever it took to pull their families up from the depths of hunger & homelessness, and yet today most of them are kept out of the Land of Plenty by walls far too thick to breach and far too tall to scale. For many, wages are far too low, housing is far too unaffordable, health care is far too expensive, stocks are far too brittle and banks are far too unstable (and far too unethical) … Though it is still possible for some of the poor to rise from the ranks of the impoverished into a middle class that is rapidly receding, the fact remains that hard work alone can no longer bring them there.

AND YET despite these disturbing Truths, I once again bring Good News, and this time I bring it to all those who are poor and to all those who feel that they do not have enough.

And that Good News is this:
YOU ARE ALREADY WEALTHY!

That’s right … It turns out that real Wealth is not something you have to earn or work hard for or be blessed with, but is rather an innate Right with which we are all born.

It turns out that the key to becoming truly Wealthy is not knowing how to “beat the system” or take back what is “rightly yours” or “manifest riches” … It’s not about employing a better marketing strategy for what you are selling, it’s not about employing a better investment strategy for what you earn, and it’s not even about employing a better employment strategy for finding & keeping a better job.

No, my Friends, your true Wealth — the Abundance that is your birthright, will come to you when you have the humility to redefine Wealth; to leave behind the definitions of success & prosperity that do not function (those that never have and those that never will), and adopt instead definitions of affluence and worth that always bring with them profound Joy & deep-seated Contentment — and this no matter how little money you might have in your bank account or little cash you might have in your wallet.

Consider then, the following:  an expose of what Wealth is not, and thereby a rediscovery of what Wealth truly is …

*Wealth is not protecting your money or accumulating more of it. Wealth is giving your money away — using whatever finances you already have to benefit the lives of those who have less than you.

*Wealth is not the possession of property. Wealth is giving shelter to others — using whatever home you already have (however meager it may be) to provide warmth for those who have none; interconnecting your home with homes of those around you to break down the walls of callousness & independence, and allow real Community to blossom anew.

*Wealth is not investing for the future. Wealth is accepting your present situation with grace & gratitude. Wealth is not smothering fear with the delusional blanket of “financial security”. Wealth is destroying fear by reaching out to Care for those who are afraid.

*Wealth is not a life of ease & comfort & “inner peace”. Wealth is being soaked in times of turmoil & tragedy, and yet finding Calm anyway — in seeking to bring others ease & comfort & Peace.

*Wealth is not moments of fun & pleasure. Wealth is feeling sad or afraid, and yet choosing to be grateful for life anyway — and then reaching out to serve.

*Wealth is not a table filled with sugar & flesh; foods bought at corporate supermarkets — turned into tasty poison by scientists and purchased with the suffering of other sentient beings. Wealth is supporting local organic farmers … Wealth is growing your own fruits & vegetables … Wealth is sharing your harvest with others — however sparse it might be … and Wealth is investing in the Health of all those you Love by refusing to eat foods requiring the imprisonment & murder of innocent animals. This too is your Right.

*Wealth is not being surrounded by supporters and “yes-men”. Wealth is being surrounded by strangers & enemies, and yet reaching out in Kindness anyway — treating them as Friends.

In conclusion, no matter how much or how little you possess or own, your life is already overflowing with an Abundance far greater than any mansion and far more valuable than any treasure. This is the Wealth with which you were born, this is the Wealth with which you now reside, and this is the Wealth that will be with you until the end of your days.

This is the Wealth of Peace.
This is the Wealth of Kindness
This is the Wealth of Community.

And this Wealth is your inalienable Right. No one can prevent you from enlivening it, and no one can take it from you.

It has been planted within your Soul.
It is yours forever, and all that remains for you to reap its Joys …
… is for you to bring it forth and sow its LOVE.

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread. And there are people in the world who are so poor, that instead of Love, money and things have become their God.” ~ inspired by M. Gandhi

Filed under: The Inalienable Eleven by Scaughdt