Thriving [View all]

I just read this Abraham message:


You have to find a way to be all right with thriving because you are always going to want to thrive. The economy is moving forward in response to the desires of people. And depriving yourself of something does not make more money for someone else to spend. If there were not people who were purchasing things, then all of the people who are working at manufacturing and marketing them would have to find some other ways of making their living. There are so many people who innately want to thrive, who as soon as they begin thriving a little, begin imposing all of these exterior judgements about how much thriving is appropriate, "It's appropriate to thrive that much, but not that much." And you have to ask yourself, "At what point do I lose the balance of thriving?"

--- Abraham (2003)


This is a subject which nags at me more and more. I've frequently posted in GD topics pertaining to wealth inequality and our priorities, personally and collectively. I'm one who feels there, somehow, should be limits placed on wealth accumulation while so many people suffer in poverty.

On one hand, I am mindful of trying not to approach anything from a place of lack or negativity; on the other hand, I can't -- and won't -- choose to ignore the suffering of others since our current shared reality is one of significant inequality and injustice.

Rather than be immersed in the negativity of it all (which, to me, gets us nowhere, fast), I try to raise the topic for discussion by focusing on priorities. I come from a place of acknowledging the gross inequality, and suffering it causes, then work to create/set new priorities and work to manifest those.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x2357807

That is very difficult to balance sometimes, however. It's hard not to come from a place of "lack" when we fear basic resources to survive, like food and water, won't be available to everyone because they're being hoarded.

I have the perhaps Pollyanna belief that nothing in our current reality must remain. I believe that once something shifts, there can be incredible developments by visionaries to remove all of these fears concerning resources. We will then see that we can create new ways of doing everything...including how we survive and thrive through brand new discoveries regarding energy and sustainable methods for everything and everyone.

Yet, we are where we are as far as a collective reality at present.

With regard to Abraham's statement above -- while I recognize and appreciate the whole Law of Attraction aspect to this viewpoint -- I do feel it's important to look at the big picture and balance our "thriving" with the collective reality.

Perhaps so long as our "thriving" truly lifts others and manifests the Law of Attraction principles for more and more people as we go, that's cool.

But the examples in my DU link above are very selfish, greedy thriving, in my opinion. I realize we have to focus on ourselves first and foremost to raise the vibration or be of service or however you choose to view it from a spiritual perspective. Yet I also think it's very easy to keep telling ourselves that and then it becomes simply selfish and greedy.

And, for those who are thriving, how they choose to "lift" others is very subjective. Bill Gates and other gazillionaires often lift others via their philanthropy, yet -- to me -- I don't believe their giving is truly selfless. It's often only done via their own charitable trusts which provide tremendous tax/financial benefits for them.

Still, that's not to say they shouldn't do SOMETHING, or that what they do isn't of service and benefit to those who suffer.

This is a gray area for me that I ponder frequently, and wonder how others view and approach this subject?