This odd title is an altered form of an intriguing article I
just read. It is by Eric G. Wilson and
his title is “The Gift of Financial Insecurity.” Often I am looking in some unlikely places of
ordinariness to find the spiritual gems.
Much of what Wilson discusses is insightful. He certainly does not discount the problems
that our current economy has brought…and probably yet will bring. There are layoffs, cutbacks, and other
misfortunes.
But there are “gifts” in these lousy circumstances. I particularly like one of his lines because
it rings true to my own experience.
Wilson says that these times can cause us to question the way we have
been living. He continues with the
comment that, “Doing so, we pull within, explore ourselves, and discover what
is really important to us, what we most require to make our lives valuable.” I
actually smiled when I read that last phrase, “to make our lives valuable.”
A flip remark crossed my mind: “oh, so valuables don’t
always make life valuable!” Indeed, a
valuable life is not constituted by the valuables we have. Having valuables clearly can make our lives
easier, more painless, and at one level, more enjoyable. But there is no direct association between
valuables and meaning in life. And I
think this is where Wilson is going. And
this is the spiritual which, for me, is always about meaning in life.
One truth about being human---in good times and in bad---is
that time marches on. Of course, in good
times that marching is more fun, more pleasant, etc. But this truth leads Wilson to recognize that
“nothing in this ephemeral life is secure at all.” No doubt, all of us beyond about the age of
seven know this. But if you are like me,
too much of my life is lived disconnected from that reality---almost as if I
did not know. And then along come some
bad times and, boom surely enough, “nothing is secure at all.”
And then we hit the spiritual note in Wilson’s little
essay. He says, “Almost of necessity, we
are being forced into a more contemplative life, in which wealth can be
immaterial and scarcity can make room for abundance.” Cleverly, Wilson has played around with the
normal meaning of concepts. He leads us
to consider how our immaterial treasures are really our wealth.
For me that is easy to grasp and, I think, it is true. My kids, my friends, my abilities are all my
wealth. The good news is I actually can
increase their value. It is what my
business buddy calls “wealth creation.”
I can become wealthier! It can
even be a really good thing to do in bad times.
Wilson also talks about how “scarcity can make room for
abundance.” I do suppose that is his
more sophisticated way of saying that “less can be more.” I do recall the first time I heard that
saying…and I said, “Huh!” But I think I
am closer to getting it. And getting it
is a spiritual thing. I do think the
monks with whom I was recently associated get it. They already know “less can be more.” In an odd way they chose scarcity, so that
they may find spiritual abundance. But
that is one big difference: they chose it and so many of us won’t. It will be forced on us.
But we do have a choice…a spiritual choice. We, too, can choose a more contemplative
life. Bad times do not have to be just
misery (although they probably will be that).
Bad times can also lead to spiritual wealth.
My prayer is: Lord, I am not asking for bad times. But if bad times come, teach me to be a
contemplative. And give me some friends
to help me.
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