In life, one must measure growth in all forms of one's personal wealth.
True wealth is an abundance of values. Ownership of values is universal, permanent and inalienable. The worth of these values does not change with time and becomes part of the person him/herself. It cannot be lost. By this definition, money is a poor measure of wealth. A person can experience great wealth as a hedge fund manager or a penniless sage. However, a wiser soul understands early in the course of life that there is a general negative correlation between material growth and personal wealth. One may possess much material wealth, but such things easily tax the mind and body. One is often tempted to throw away everything to take ownership of the self and everything else. For some, this is an absolutely necessary step. For others, this is an excuse to escape fear.
We should spend our energy and time in generation of valuable products. These are things which sustain our bodies, mature our minds, and lift our spirits. Most values and valuable products are universal to plants, animals, and people. Some examples of this include water, knowledge, experience, kinship, sunlight, the Nature, land, and the Self.
Knowledge is free. Once obtained, it cannot be taken away with threat - empty or otherwise. It can be freely shared as any true form of wealth is always experienced.
Wisdom, also, is free. Though seemingly hard to find at times, its only prerequisites are openness and proper discernment. Wisdom and experience nourish the generations of human beings whether they are rich or poor.
The right to express the opinions formed from knowledge and wisdom is a great treasure to humanity. Though we do not like to hear propaganda , true scientific process requires empiric observation of both true and false knowledge. Silence is only a fool's gold. Just expression of wisdom is much more valuable and precious. However, like all forms of wealth, one must not waste right speech on people to whom these values are lost. Values pass like wild fire when speech is free.
Time is our principle form of currency. Everyone is given 24 hours a day, yet some achieve more wealth than others. Those who do more with less do more with less because they understand well the value of time. The five stages of grieving are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Life is a long process involving these five processes in regards to death. If somehow one accepts death as the natural outcome of their life - as it is - one can finally appreciate time. Therefore, acceptance of one's death is the prerequisite for achieving great wealth.
Emphasis:
Acceptance of death allows appreciation of time.
Appreciation leads to proper expenditure of time.
Proper expenditure is wealth.
Example: Men and women of true wealth have accepted their death long before death accepted them.
Though the world is full of suffering, most relationships and interpersonal encounters are positive. It is through the meeting of people one learns values regarding human relationships.
Families are the building block of all relationship. These are people to whom we are born and with whom we will die. They help us form our fundamental values whether by good or by evil.
Friends form a natural extension from your family. They provide us with traditions of their ancestors with which to test the truths of our childhood values. True, lifelong friends are ones who forever hone our values by their love and gentleness.
Teachers are like bridges which connect islands of isolated values to a greater body of knowledge. By their instructions, we learn not subjects but a way to grasp the world and taste its fruits.
Ultimately, it's the strangers who teach us the most about values. Values we learn from our families, friends, and teachers are bound to be homogeneous and true only from a local perspective. Strangers present us with values different from our own. Through their eyes, we understand the partial failure of our current values in the universality test. Incorporating a strange custom, religion or tradition, one understands his ancestry and relationships in a new perspective with new insights. The more strangers we meet, the wiser and wealthier we become
Meeting of strangers cannot happen if one does not travel in the true sense of word.
One cannot travel if one does not appreciate the luxury of time.
Again, appreciation of time comes with acceptance of one's mortality.
Traveling not only provides opportunity to inherit foreign values but also teaches us values which are extrinsic from human relations.
When I was lonely, I appreciated the value of my loved ones.
When I was lost, I appreciated the value of my Self.
When I was thirsty, I appreciated the value of water.
When I was hungry, I appreciated the value of food.
When I was dirty, I appreciated hygiene.
When food and water was scarce, I appreciated the value of land, water, and the Sun.
Thirst forcing appreciation of true values, we purify ourselves from the former idea of wealth based on monetary currency which only serve to enslave us with false material security destined to betray us sooner or later. Rather than draining our energy and time into a drab, nine-to-five void, we find a good human balance to nurture all aspects of our lives all the while remaining in the creative force necessary to create material valuable which promote health in people, relationships, plants, animals, and planet.
Valuable products create wealth for the producer and consumer. Such things are appreciated for intrinsic value rather than the satisfaction of ownership. A bowl of rice is cherished for what it is. An expensive jewelry, not so. As such, one's daily function in a society should serve to enrich one's life as well as those who use his service. An ideal work brings inspiration and excitement on the way to work, provides the bare necessities of valuable products for one's own consumption, and produces goods and services which is in line with creating wealth for all. For example, a farmer enjoys his work, his works provides him with food and shelter, his land produces that which is healthy for everyone including himself.
The greatest inheritance is a wealth based on knowledge and wisdom. Proper knowledge enables children to self-nurture. Wise children discern wealth and the course of life which allows them to maximize their individual talents and creativity. Combined, these two values grow children to the fullest in Life. Such children do not repeat the mistakes of our fathers.
Then we inherit the greatest wealth to Life. Leaving the planet cleaner with gentle, kind, and loving children.
