Imagine if a person’s personal bank account was directly correlated to the level of life fulfillment they felt. Imagine living in a world where the only way that you could increase your material wealth was to increase your sense of connectedness to your world. Altruism lasting for a day was an instant deposit of $50,000 into your bank account. Imagine this. Contentment, joy, love, and bliss are difficult to measure, but, without doubt, have tangible value.
This weekend three bands asked me to sit-in and play at the Texas Yoga Conference. Each band’s set was exquisitely blissful. Not only was the music beautiful, but the community of participants transformed the University of Houston facility into a friendly and inspiring little town for the weekend. This experience of love (Not the new agey immature and shallow love, but love that has sprung from commitment and discipline…not from neediness.) was tangible.
However, in our world we don’t really look at experiences like these as increasing our wealth. In the same way, we often overlook the massive wealth of physical health.
These times have been defined as “difficult” from a material perspective. It is often said that one of the core problems is that we no longer produce products like cars and electronics. What would happen to our world if we all became producers AND consumers of altruism, bliss, wellbeing, and love?
I propose that if we consumers viewed wealth differently…viewed wealth from a spiritual viewpoint…that our actions and days would look different. More people would exercise; meditate; turn off the TV; swim; do yoga; read scripture and poetry; eat better; chant, sing, and dance together; and be kind to strangers and look one another in the eye. I spent the other morning with my daughter and noticed that, after hours, we looked each other in the eyes and smiled. What is the value of this? What is this worth?
The commodity of bliss and love is real and has value. Equally important is to know that, like any valuable commodity, there is a lot of fraud and dishonesty in the marketplace. However this should not stop us from becoming great producers and consumers of real wealth…spiritual wealth. Become a producer! Look your children in the eyes; teach a class; play catch with the neighborhood kids; start a weekly singing group with your friends….whatever it may be…cook a dish that brings joy into this world. What’s on your menu today?