‘Money is the least of your worries’…This simple statement has confused populations of people all over the world for centuries because of how difficult it is to teach people to believe in it much less to learn how to implement its tenets in one’s life. This statement provides the answer for bettering the human race and unfortunately, the best formula for destroying it. Whatever the quantity of money a person possesses can be cause for worry, whether it is measly, by one’s standards, or a large sum. Do you see how teaching people about contentment becomes troublesome?
Our society is plagued by a problem far worse than just financial mismanagement or inflation. Our society is motivated by a collective consciousness that needs to be understood and problematized on a spiritual and psychological level. As such, notable researchers and authors have made attempts to offer solutions; specifically, Dhanesvara Das, in his book entitled, ‘Lessons in Spiritual Economics from the Bhagavad Gita’, where ‘spiritual economics’ refers to a cross-disciplinary study combining psychology, economics and the spiritual science of the Vedas. In so doing, solutions are provided for people who find themselves in worrying economic downturns in their personal life and as citizens of a country.
In order to gain insight into how to teach and learn contentment, one must temporarily tune out the rhetoric and economic jargon of financial ‘Gurus’ (for lack of a better term) and tune in to the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita which expounds the understanding that we are spiritual beings living in a material world and that economics is a man-made creation. We must face our problems with the understanding that there is a link between economic activity and human consciousness. In our modern society, we must live, work and function as part and parcel of this web of relations. Finding contentment is even more difficult today where the link between economic activity and human consciousness has almost become indissoluble.
Spiritual leaders are now faced with hungry audiences. An apt understanding of the link between economic activity and human consciousness is fundamental for future progress of any nation. A man who cannot provide for his family nor feed himself will relinquish his faith in God first, and guess what happens after? Hence, the list of roles and responsibilities of our religious leaders has been extended to now protecting society from caving in on itself. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
We are reminded of the Ramcharitmanas in which similar circumstances affected society and how they reacted. This will help us to understand and appreciate the tremendous sacrifices of the people and how they faced these challenges. In a time where taxes were levied indiscriminately on the people of a nation, the leader sought to achieve a dictatorship and establish full control. A group of rishis or spiritual men were forced to pay and, in a jar, they pooled their only possession-the blood flowing through their veins. This jar was buried out of fear but when opened, Shakti emerged and caused Ravan’s downfall. This Shakti represents the collective consciousness of the rishis and by extension, our resolve in times of disfavour.
Our society has faced tremendous challenges before and will continue to do so but it is necessary to not become slaves to monetary advancement. We must define and understand ourselves as spiritual beings first and foremost and in so doing, obstacles that we think are problematic will wither away with this new resolve.
Pt. Varistha Persad
