Somebody asked me about the Occupy Wall Street movement. I thought this question was a little unusual because I never broach into the political realms. But there are some spiritual aspects to this movement. I think that if the people in this movement are willing to consider these aspects, they will bring more focus to the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Specifically there are three spiritual questions that can bring this focus to this movement:
First, what is value of a human being?
Second, what is the purpose of life?
And third, where can a human being find happiness?
By answering these questions I think that the participants in this movement will gain a better understanding of what they are rebelling against, and what they hope to achieve. So today let’s discuss the real value of being human:
Is the value of a human being the same as a corporation?
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At first the value of a corporation seems quite obvious. Its value comes from its balance sheet. The more profit a company makes the more value it has. There are two ways that a company can increase its profits: by increasing its sales and investments, and by decreasing its expenses.
Notice that there is no place here for human values and needs. Also there is no room for compassion. For instance if it helps the corporation’s balance sheet to lay people off before Christmas, then your Christmas present will be a layoff notice. Also, a company will give to charity if the company feels it will help its reputation so that it can sell more products. But the aim of the company is to cut down on a person’s buying resistance, not to help people.
Can our value be measured by our wealth?
Now a person who feels that his or her value is based on money cannot conceive of greed and avarice. After all that person might ask, why are you trying to limit my value? Moreover, wealth tends to fluctuate. A large medical expense or a change in the markets can come along and dramatically affect a person's wealth. So I wonder if a person can ever gain enough money to feel completely secure.
Please click here to see a picture essay on where are value comes from.
Our real value comes from our being
I am sure you can see that if a person's value is based on his or her wealth, then there would be no reason to protest. It would seem natural to covet wealth, even at the expense of other human qualities such as love, beauty, understanding, and compassion. But the fact is that you are protesting and people are feeling that something is wrong with the above picture. So let’s look at the value of a human being from a spiritual perspective. I am sure that you will find that this is a more natural way of measuring value.
Our desire for wealth masks our real desire. It is a desire to find a stable home, a place where we can abide at peace, free from the vicissitudes of life. Some people call this the need for security. Although everything seems to be in motion and changing, you may be surprised to know that you can find a real and experiential answer to this need for security. What happens is that people fail to notice the still place where they stand already. Consequently they look right past their identity and latch on to the things that they see.
Our value comes from the stillness that sees change
If people would only look and see that it is from the stillness of their own being that they can even see change, they would find their real value in the closest place possible. On the other hand when people latch on to wealth in their effort to find security and peace, they are asking money to provide something that’s beyond its reach; that’s because wealth by its nature is always in motion.
In other words, the value that people hope to find in wealth actually comes from them. This hidden treasure is found in their own being. If you experiment a little and find the place that these words point to, you will find the most important secret in the universe: your value comes from what you are, not from what you have. Standing here without the need to gain anything, or fear of losing what you have, you get to fully appreciate the beauty, harmony and love that lie at the core of our universe.
Only Humans can know the real value of being human
Standing here you get to feel like a complete human being. But a corporation can never understand the real value of being human. That’s because you have to experience your being to know it fully. So a corporation or other imagined entity can never really grasp what’s at our core.
So what is the hope in all of this: That these corporations will no longer be run merely by their balance sheets ─ that corporations will once again be run by humans who understand the real value in being human Then as human being they will truly be able to serve the deepest needs of people and not just their most shallow wishes.
It is still possible that greed and avarice can be replaced by the love and compassion that is natural to us and comes from our very core. I have confidence that this change will grow from the hearts of the people who read this blog.
Asking Question
As always feel free to ask questions. It is only when you don’t ask that you get to live in assumed limitations. When you can ask you are well on your way to freeing yourself from the limitations that seem to cause your suffering.
Here questions about this article or other things going on in your life are always welcome; you can write us at michael@ananya.com. I love questions and try to answer them all in this blog. That’s because when you start to question limitation, you are on the verge of destroying it.
Please Tell Your Friends
Please tell you friends. Although we don’t have an advertising budget, we hope that everyone who wants to can find out about and wake up to this wisdom.
Best Wishes,
Michael Gluckman
