Virtues of Prosperity: Generosity; Gratitude; Humility.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness..

(Galatians 5:22)

The last few posts have presented the first four of what I call the Ten Virtues of Prosperity.  These virtues are the different denominations of the currency of the moral economy, as dollars and cents are for the material economy.   Exemplifying these virtues will be difficult to say the least.  I mean that we should be clear about one thing: applying spiritual principles of thought and behavior among people whose values are materialistic, whose conception of human nature is ego-centered, and whose idea of human purpose is self-centered action, creates upheaval, arouses suspicion, and invites negative reaction. 

Ideally, of course, spiritual principle and practical action are inseparable, one seamless flow of thought and behavior.  But we do not live in such an ideal condition, but one that is almost exactly the opposite of it.  Baha’u’llah wrote of the effects of moral acts in an immoral society: “One righteous act is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished.” (Gleanings: 286)  I call your attention especially to the “tear every bond asunder” threat wedged in between the two firm promises of elevating the dust and restoring the force that hath spent itself and vanished.  Christ said that new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins, for as the new wine ferments it expands and the old skin having lost its elasticity bursts.  This is what happens when the new wine of Revelation gets poured into our old wineskins of social and mental reality.  We are seeing increasing insanity and immorality, because our old thought patterns, values and assumptions about Reality have burst asunder. Virtue is the new wineskin.    

The fifth virtue is generosity.  As opposed to any Calvinist-type thinking that accumulation of material riches is the proof of spiritual felicity, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá says: “Eternal happiness is contingent upon giving.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace: 131)   There is no greater means to achieve general prosperity than by generosity.  Bahá’u’lláh commands us to: “Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.” (Gleanings: 297)  In another place He warns the rich, saying: “Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor, lest heedlessness lead them into the path of destruction, and deprive them of the Tree of Wealth. To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.” (The Hidden Words Persian #49)  

In His letter to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote:  “Among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is voluntary sharing of one’s property with others among mankind.  This voluntary sharing is greater than equality, and consists in this, that one should not prefer oneself to others, but rather should sacrifice one’s life and property for others.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: 302)  To the great financier and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, He wrote: “Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him. And sharing is a personally chosen righteous act: that is, the rich should extend assistance to the poor, they should expend their substance for the poor, but of their own free will, and not because the poor have gained this end by force. For the harvest of force is turmoil and the ruin of the social order.  On the other hand voluntary sharing, the freely-chosen expending of one's substance, leadeth to society's comfort and peace.  It lighteth up the world; it bestoweth honour upon humankind.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: 115)   And while in Paris He said: “The rich must give of their abundance, they must soften their hearts and cultivate a compassionate intelligence, taking thought for those sad ones who are suffering from lack of the very necessities of life.” (Paris Talks: 153)

But just to tell someone “be generous like Christ or Bahá’u’lláh” probably will not get him or her very far.  This is because whenever an immature soul gives to another he may well fear that he is impoverishing himself, for he thinks life is a competitive zero-sum game with only winners and losers.  But we are not in competition with each other if we are cooperating with higher powers.  For in that cooperative relation there is plenty for all, and we need not fear running out of wealth, either personally or collectively.  The spiritualized soul recognizes that the act of giving itself is wealth in a higher form.  This is our true affluence—a word which means flows freely.  Personal prosperity is founded on and expressed through generosity. It is not those who have too little that are in poverty; it is those who wish for more than they need that are poor in spirit.

The sixth virtue is gratitude.  Gratitude is an active power drawing to us the good pleasure of God—the first attracting the second.  Gratitude works for prosperity by establishing good human relations and relations with divinity.  Grace is the root of gratitude, so we should be grateful for our innate virtues and use them to contribute to prosperity.  But gratitude must be sincere to be effective.

‘Abdul-Baha wrote: “There is a cordial thanksgiving, too, which expresses itself in the deeds and actions of man when his heart is filled with gratitude. For example, God has conferred upon man the gift of guidance, and in thankfulness for this great gift certain deeds must emanate from him. To express his gratitude for the favors of God man must show forth praiseworthy actions. In response to these bestowals he must render good deeds, be self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, forfeiting even life for them, showing kindness to all the creatures.” (Promulgation of Universal Peace: 236)

It takes little effort to imagine what other kinds of deeds and “praiseworthy actions” would contribute to prosperity, besides the one’s the Master lists: self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, showing kindness to all creatures.  The important point for this discussion is that we do these services for others to show our gratitude to God: we give because we have already received and thus have something to give.

Seventh is humility.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was often likened to an ocean, not just because He seemed bigger than any situation, but also because His deep humility made Him put Himself lower than everyone else and thus serve them.  All waters flow to the ocean for it lies at the lowest point, yet the ocean is also the fount of all life.  So is service the fount of wealth in the moral economy.  Now a strange kind of happy math would happen if all were humble and serving others instead of being self-serving.  That is, if everyone is looking out for me, and not just me looking out for me, there is a lot more security and wealth for me, so long as I am looking out for others.  Hence, humility is not such total self-effacement that one feels unworthy to do anything, or that one has nothing to give.  Humility is an attitude that seeks out service; that always wishes to help.  It should be the chief quality of the leaders of humankind.

Steven Covey, author of Principle-Centered Leadership, writes: “You can’t have a oneness, a unity, without humility….The great servant leaders have that humility, the hallmark of inner religion.” (Principle-Centered Leadership: 92.)  I will complete the ten virtues in the next post.

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred, is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a.  It is now also in Kindle.

Virtues of Prosperity: Trustworthiness and Faith

(T)he happiness and greatness, the rank and station, the pleasure and peace, of an individual have never consisted in his personal wealth, but rather in his excellent character, his high resolve, the breadth of his learning, and his ability to solve difficult problems.

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization: 23)

In a spiritually-based economy, what I call the moral economy, material wealth must of course be generated.  But we are not after material wealth per se.  We are after prosperity.  Wealth is absolutely essential for prosperity to mean anything but fine words, but material wealth itself is not prosperity. Indeed Baha’u’llah wrote: “Know ye in truth that wealth is a mighty barrier between the lover and his beloved... Well is it then with him who, being rich, is not hindered by his riches from the eternal Kingdom.” (The Hidden Words, Persian #53)

Prosperity comes from combining of spiritual riches (virtues) with material wealth.  Wealth can be used to build hospitals or bombs.  But prosperity makes one decision infinitely better than the other.  But in either case, wealth is like having a strong hammer to drive a nail.  Poverty is like having only your hand to do it.  The question is not, then, to choose between a false dichotomy of either ethics or economics.  The real question is: How is the ethical economy established?  That is why I am putting forth what I am calling the ten virtues of prosperity.  Last post discussed love and truthfulness.  This post discusses trustworthiness and faith.

If we are lovingly caring for others, are cooperating with them, and are truthful in all matters, we are demonstrating that we are trustworthy, that others may repose their trust in us to take care of the poor in our midst who are His trust.  Trustworthiness is also trusting that we will be cared for in ways which we may not know or understand, that we will be fed by hidden celestial springs.  In a phrase I discussed in a previous post (August 9, 2012), Shoghi Effendi wrote: “To be continually giving out for the good of our fellows undeterred by the fear of poverty and reliant on the unfailing bounty of the Source of all wealth and all good – that is the secret of right living.” (Directives from the Guardian: 32). 

So important is trustworthiness in social and economic affairs that Bahá’u’lláh had a vision of trustworthiness as: “one of the Beauties of the Most Sublime Paradise, standing on a pillar of light, and calling aloud saying: “O inmates of earth and heaven! Behold ye My beauty, and My radiance, and My revelation, and My effulgence. By God, the True One! I am Trustworthiness and the revelation thereof, and the beauty thereof. I will recompense whosoever will cleave unto Me, and recognize My rank and station, and hold fast unto My hem. I am the most great ornament of the people of Baha, and the vesture of glory unto all who are in the kingdom of creation. I am the supreme instrument for the prosperity of the world, and the horizon of assurance unto all beings.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah: 37)  In another tablet He wrote: “The goodliest vesture in the sight of God in this day is trustworthiness. All bounty and honour shall be the portion of the soul that arrayeth itself with this greatest of adornments.” (The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 327)

In another place He wrote: “We have enjoined upon all to become engaged in some trade or profession, and have accounted such occupation to be an act of worship. Before all else, however, thou shouldst receive, as a sign of God's acceptance, the mantle of trustworthiness from the hands of divine favour; for trustworthiness is the chief means of attracting confirmation and prosperity.” (The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 335)

 “Commerce,” He wrote in yet another connection, “is as a heaven, whose sun is trustworthiness and whose moon is truthfulness. The most precious of all things in the estimation of Him Who is the Sovereign Truth is trustworthiness: thus hath it been recorded in the sacred Scroll of God. Entreat ye the one true God to enable all mankind to attain to this most noble and lofty station.” (The Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 335-336)  Nothing more need be said about this virtue than what Bahá’u’lláh wrote.

Faith is the greatest creative power in the human reality.  It is an intrinsic impulse of the human spirit.  The power of faith was summed up by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá when He said: “Nothing shall be impossible to you if you have faith. As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be.” (Bahiyyih Khanum: 225)  Much of the hopelessness present today is really a lack of faith.  Of course, there is good reason to put no faith in failing systems and institutions and untrustworthy people.  But the general lack of faith comes from the breakdown of trust, in oneself, in others and in institutions, because more and more relationships and systems no longer work.  In relation to prosperity, should we have real faith we would believe that: “The Spirit breathing through the Holy Scriptures is food for all who hunger. God Who has given the revelation to His Prophets will surely give of His abundance daily bread to all those who ask Him faithfully.” (Paris Talks:57)  To ask faithfully doesn’t mean to put in your sincere request to the divine food bank and passively wait for a magical cornucopia to open.  It means to work hard toward a necessary or noble goal, all the while believing that divine assistance is aiding you in your quest.

            Many recoil from belief in invisible power and say: “Seeing is believing.”  They mean by this little gnome of supposed insight that wisdom is to be skeptical of anything that can’t be seen with the physical eye.  But actually the opposite is true.  Real faith is never blind belief, or belief in something we cannot relate to.  The Biblical statement of the correct attitude is Jesus declaration: “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (The Book of Mark 11:24)   Jesus is saying look into the world of vision, perceive with your spiritual eye, as He did, and believe that what you perceive there is real and can be manifested. 

            So many don’t really believe what they mentally envision, calling it “just imagination” or "only a dream."  This is doubt speaking and the lower form of faith is doubt.  We often lose heart and feel doubt when pursuing a dream because we encounter obstacles or resistance.  This, too, is a form of poverty thinking (See the November 4, 2012 post) that can become a self-fulfilling belief.  Doubt has an impoverishing effect, for we are actually saying that we don’t believe in the reality of spirit.  Thus what we desire from that realm will never manifest.  But to believe that you have received before you have actually received, as Christ said, means that you must mentally make a place in your life for the desired reality.  If you are not prepared for it you are actually strengthening doubt not belief.  In this case, doubt will increase, faith will decrease, and you are ensnared in a self-fulfilling prophecy of hopelessness and despair.

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred, is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a.  It is now also in Kindle.

Virtues of True Prosperity

The honor and exaltation of every existing being depends upon causes and circumstances….the honor and exaltation of man must be something more than material riches. Material comforts are only a branch, but the root of the exaltation of man is the good attributes and virtues which are the adornments of his reality. These are the divine appearances, the heavenly bounties, the sublime emotions, the love and knowledge of God; universal wisdom, intellectual perception, scientific discoveries, justice, equity, truthfulness, benevolence, natural courage and innate fortitude; the respect for rights and the keeping of agreements and covenants; rectitude in all circumstances; serving the truth under all conditions; the sacrifice of one's life for the good of all people; kindness and esteem for all nations; obedience to the teachings of God; service in the Divine Kingdom; the guidance of the people, and the education of the nations and races. This is the prosperity of the human world! This is the exaltation of man in the world! This is eternal life and heavenly honor!

(‘Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions: 78-80)

        With ‘Àbdu’l-Bahá’s statement in mind, we can say that real prosperity lies in advancing ourselves into higher realms of spirit where true wealth resides.  It is not to be rich in this world, but to use this wealth to express more spirit.

In the next few posts I am going to discuss what I call the ten personal virtues of prosperity.  These virtues all derive from the central pivot of Baha’u’llah’s teachings, which is the consciousness of the oneness of humanity.  That is, these virtues come out of and support that central ideal and give it varied expression in interpersonal relations.  They do not exist or have real power without that larger context provided by that consciousness.  This must be kept in mind, or they become simply disembodied ideas and airy beliefs. 

Before I get to the heart of the discussion, however, I want to put forward two considerations.  First, ‘Abdu’l-Baha reminds us that: “These virtues do not appear from the reality of man except through the power of God and the divine teachings, for they need supernatural power for their manifestation. It may be that in the world of nature a trace of these perfections may appear, but they are unstable and ephemeral; they are like the rays of the sun upon the wall.” (Some Answered Questions: 80)

Secondly, some may question my choice of virtues: “What, only these virtues and not others?”; or, “Why did he not include….”?  My answer is that I have found this approach a useful one and I hope the reader does also.  It is comprehensive but not overly complex.  If any reader wishes to add to or subtract from the list, fine, for they are, naturally, free to make their own list using other virtues.  The goal, though, is neither to make lists, nor to argue over whose list is better, but to practice virtues.  

The two virtues to discuss today are love and truthfulness.  The discussion will necessarily be short, but the hope is that the essentials will be apparent. 

First is love.  Love is both the foundation and center of everything human.  In a talk in America, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained the connection between love and true economics: “The fundamentals of the whole economic condition are divine in nature and are associated with the world of the heart and spirit….Hearts must be so cemented together, love must become so dominant that the rich shall most willingly extend assistance to the poor and take steps to establish these economic adjustments permanently. If it is accomplished in this way, it will be most praiseworthy because then it will be for the sake of God and in the pathway of His service. For example, it will be as if the rich inhabitants of a city should say, ‘It is neither just nor lawful that we should possess great wealth while there is abject poverty in this community,’ and then willingly give their wealth to the poor, retaining only as much as will enable them to live comfortably.

Strive, therefore, to create love in the hearts in order that they may become glowing and radiant. When that love is shining, it will permeate other hearts even as this electric light illumines its surroundings. When the love of God is established, everything else will be realized. This is the true foundation of all economics….Economic questions will not attract hearts. The love of God alone will attract them. Economic questions are most interesting; but the power which moves, controls and attracts the hearts of men is the love of God.” (The Promulgation of Universal Peace: 239)  

            But this love is no mere soft and lifeless acceptance of things as they are.  It is divine love, not human imitations of it.  We must understand the dynamic power of love to change human conditions.  Think of a Mother Teresa.  Without love there is only tolerance of others, without unity there is only passive acceptance of differences.  To quote again a statement from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends, for love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: 24)  “Love is a light that never dwelleth in a heart possessed by fear,” says Bahá’u’lláh, (The Four Valleys:58) bringing to mind Shoghi Effendi’s admonition to give “undeterred by the fear of poverty.” (Directives from the Guardian: 32

            But to get a real sense of the power of love let us ponder these words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha: “Love is…the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things. .... the unique power that bindeth together the divers elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms. Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe. Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation.” (Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha: 27)  Love, then, is the binding power of all things, especially of human relations.  If we truly loved each other we would never think of taking advantage or justify self-interest.

The second virtue is truthfulness.  Though it is the second virtue, it is the first intellectual virtue and therefore the foundation of mental activity and progress.   The Master says: “Truthfulness is the foundation of all the virtues of the world of humanity. Without truthfulness, progress and success in all of the worlds of God are impossible for a soul. When this holy attribute is established in man, all the divine qualities will also become realized.” (Bahá’í World Faith: 384)  Mere casual reflection tells us that if people were truthful in their personal dealings then misunderstanding, suspicion, hurt and anger would decrease, and trust, cooperation and service would increase.  Truthfulness by itself would increase prosperity, for watchdog agencies would not be necessary to police the graft, bribery, tax evasion, and other forms of immoral self-interest that siphon off so much from the public funds.  Truthfulness in the corporate and public world would be a great benefit to society, and would eliminate all those scandalous underhanded dealings that so plague our world today. 

The collective form of truthfulness is consultation, the aim of which is to determine the truth in any matter by each one speaking truthfully his or her opinion on the matter at hand.  Bahá’u’lláh admonishes: “Take ye counsel together in all matters, inasmuch as consultation is the lamp of guidance which leadeth the way, and is the bestower of understanding.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah:168)

A direct link to my book, Renewing the Sacred is http://tinyurl.com/cndew5a

Poverty Thinking

God grant that all men may turn unto the treasures latent within their own beings.

(Tablets of Baha’u’llah:72)

            We are learning the hard way that real happiness resides neither in a mad, frenetic pursuit of material things, nor in that drowsy complacency resulting from gorging on a glut of material wealth, or rather it may for awhile, but it cannot endure without the developments of our virtues, both private and public. 

The evolution of what has become a materialist order of life, thought, and society was built upon an ethos of self-interest.  ‘Abdu’l-Baha summed up that ethos this way: “Today, all the peoples of the world are indulging in self-interest and exert the utmost effort and endeavour to promote their own material interests. They are worshipping themselves and not the divine reality, nor the world of mankind. They seek diligently their own benefit and not the common weal. This is because they are captives of the world of nature and unaware of the divine teachings, of the bounty of the Kingdom and of the Sun of Truth.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha:103)

            Opposed to this self-centered ethic of anarchy, competition and division, Baha’u’llah asserts the moral view that has animated every great religion: “Forget your own selves, and turn your eyes towards your neighbor. Bend your energies to whatever may foster the education of men.” (Gleanings: 9)  And: “Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah: 86)  And in relation to the inner gems of virtue within His Revelation He promises: “Were ye to discover the hidden, the shoreless oceans of My incorruptible wealth, ye would, of a certainty, esteem as nothing the world, nay, the entire creation.” (Gleanings:323)

Bahá’u’lláh’s estimation of the value of this world is: “The world is but a show, vain and empty, a mere nothing, bearing the semblance of reality. Set not your affections upon it.” (Gleanings:323)  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá elaborates on His father’s statement: “This present life is even as a swelling wave, or a mirage, or drifting shadows. Could ever a distorted image on the desert serve as refreshing waters?  No, by the Lord of Lords! Never can reality and the mere semblance of reality be one, and wide is the difference between fancy and fact, between truth and the phantom thereof.” (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdul-Baha:177)

            Now material things are real enough, as anyone running into a wall can tell you.  So when Bahá’u’lláh says the world is a mere nothing, He does not mean it is not real.  He means it is of little value compared to spiritual reality and that the materialistic mind overvalues it.  Bahá’u’lláh identifies our true psychological relation with material wealth: “In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed.” (Tablets of Baha’u’llah:219) 

One can never gain a feeling of security and peace from pursuing, possessing and accumulating material riches because fear and peril are hidden and concealed in their very essence.  These dangers are there because material riches are always threatening to dissolve.  They are a fleeting form of congealed dust.  Compared to spiritual wealth, the reality of material riches is illusion itself. The gold they give is only a fool’s gold, material wealth being but the semblance of inner spiritual riches.  Their promise of happiness, security and peace is a lie because they can only deliver fear, suspicion and competitive self-interest.  The more material riches are pursued and accumulated, whether by individuals or nations, the more fear and a sense of imperilment is brought into human life, for that pursuit is merely chasing shadows and reflections through the looking glass!  But fear and peril are difficult to see because they are hidden beneath the sparkling glitter of allurement—“If I get that big raise I can….” 

            Material needs and desires are a necessary part of human life and well-being: but only in a proper measure.  However, materialism as a philosophy is built entirely on fiction and illusion, for it is founded upon poverty thinking, and poverty generates anxiety which fuels a compensating avariciousness.  The  whole materialist paradigm is driven to overcome these paralyzing feelings of scarcity and fear of poverty by the donkey’s carrot of aggressive self-interest and material accumulation.  Not only is there no common prosperity there, there can never be any sense of prosperity for the lower nature is a poverty mentality seeking enrichment.  As we become engaged in cutthroat competition for limited resources we lose any sense of our spiritual nature and become blind to true human purpose.  The inner anxiety is compensated for by a lust for power and material security—but it never goes away.  Yet, from prolonged exposure to this illusion, to this improper education that brings forth our ego-qualities of negativity, we have bought into the delusion given us and the development of human consciousness suffers correspondingly. 

Shoghi Effendi put it this way: “Indeed the chief reason for the evils now rampant in society is the lack of spirituality. The materialistic civilization of our age has so much absorbed the energy and interest of mankind that people in general do no longer feel the necessity of raising themselves above the forces and conditions of their daily material existence. There is not sufficient demand for things that we call spiritual to differentiate them from the needs and requirements of our physical existence.

The universal crisis affecting mankind is, therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes. The spirit of the age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man’s outlook on life is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into the higher realms of the spirit….the core of religious faith is that mystic feeling which unites Man with God.” (Directives from the Guardian 1973 edition: 86)

            Inner poverty can only be cured by spiritual riches, not by greater material wealth.  The real scarcity today is within our empty souls, not in our empty pocketbooks.  We don’t see this, or only see it through a heavy fog of confused thoughts, because our value system, as it is called, is horribly skewed.  We have an ego-based morality. 

            In viewing our relationship with material wealth Bahá’u’lláh again presents a view opposed to the common one: “Thou dost wish for gold and I desire thy freedom from it. Thou thinkest thyself rich in its possession, and I recognize thy wealth in thy sanctity therefrom.” (The Hidden Words #56Arabic)  So that we may be educated to see ourselves and the world properly the divine Educator warns: “Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.” (The Hidden Words #55A)  We are finding out that the attraction for gold, or material wealth, is a spiritual fire we put our souls in—and it can roast the spirit.       

            True prosperity is where the spiritual and the material are in harmonious balance for everyone, not just for oneself.  So a spiritual solution to the economic problem means, at this juncture, to use our inner spiritual resources to create this balance, to mine and express those inner gems deposited within the soul of every human being, to bring about the death of scarcity.  Spiritual resources we have in abundance for we are created rich.  Spiritually, wealth is not something we need but something we are. 

            What are the virtues we need to manifest to solve our economic problem?  The first three are love, truthfulness and trustworthiness.