A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending 4 days in the outlier community Tamera in Portugal, at a conference that talked about money and its impact on people and the world.
On the surface, it appears that a big financial divide exists between the haves and have nots, and that division seems to be getting wider. But this is a little misleading.
The data suggests that the super-wealthy are becoming increasingly more wealthy, very fast; but at the same time, vast numbers of the human race are actually being lifted out of extreme poverty. And I think this dynamic is going to accelerate.
I don’t see money itself as the primary problem. For me, the real problem is the emotion, energy and intention behind the money.
The biggest emotion associated with money is fear.
Looking at my own government, I see that fear drives most of the spending. All the documents, all the meetings, all the permission systems are down to fear.
And think about the people who decide against taking action in pursuit of their dreams. Their decisions not to follow their heart are often linked to a fear of not having enough money or fear of running out of money for the future.
For the super-wealthy, fear is the mechanism that drives much of their decision-making. Fear of losing the status associated with money, or fear of missing out on the next deal or business opportunity. In the case of inherited wealth, fear of losing money that has already been generated can create complex ‘non-trust’ structures and multi-generational trauma.
Our government’s’ money-printing systems – and where that money is distributed – are all determined by fear-based decisions.
Now, I get why this happens, but we are entering a time when the biggest shift in global wealth is about to take place. Old industries, wealth and government systems are going to be replaced by new industries, new wealth and new approaches to governance.
I am worried about the transition. I would prefer a kind and gentle transition, as opposed to this ever more fractious one, in which the haves are desperately holding onto their money, guarding it against the have nots.
Transforming the emotion and intention behind money is one of the biggest problems the world has to solve. To solve that problem, we first need to look at healing the fear we hold inside ourselves.
What if money wasn’t taken and kept, through fear, but was given and shared, through love?
Money needs to shift from being held by people, organisations and systems that are fearful for themselves, and moved towards the changemakers who look to build an abundant future for everyone.
The young people who have grown up in Tamera show that it is possible to build a completely different relationship with money than the ones I see in my community. I would love that relationship to spread.
To all the good in money.
Marc
P.S. Listen to Eric Avner from People’s Liberty talk about directly investing in future changemakers http://coffeefromtheedge.com/episode-11-eric-avner/
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I am encouraged by your optimism about huge numbers of people being lifted out of extreme poverty. I want to believe that is true, yet in my own city there are more and more kids whose families qualify for what we call the “free or reduced lunch” program in their schools. This is dismal because if you ever paid attention to the revolution Jamie Oliver was trying to get started by feeding kids healthy food – that is not the case with free and reduced lunches.
Feeding out kids rubbish only deteriorates their ability to focus, stay alert and engage in their learning. So, it’s not just about the money – that’s for sure. It’s about so many things like I’ve described, and more.
The average is improving quickly but there are always winners and losers sadly.