Saturday, September 22, 2018

Abundance - redefined.

One dictionary meaning of the word abundance is 'in ample quantity.'

Feeling a sense of abundance is therefore a relative term. For a child enough pennies that he can hold in his hands is abundant, and for an adult enough pennies in a jar may not be. That is abundance in the material sense of the word.

In the philosophical sense abundance is more about the 'sense of contentedness,' than about 'plentitude.' Someone with millions may not be content and yet some will say he leads an abundant life. A millionaire may yearn to earn even more than he has and probably even more than a few generations after him will need, so abundance may never be achieved. Not necessary that millionaires do not understand abundance, many do and these are the ones who share their wealth with others with an open heart. The fulfillment they get comes from their sense of purpose and from understanding the place of wealth in the fulfillment of that purpose that goes beyond their inner circle. They acknowledge that wealth gives them the power to be inclusive, to be empathetic, and compassionate. Once they experience that they are not only millionaires but philanthropists.

An abundant life is one in which there is joy, love, and peace. Money is a part of that abundant life as it provides for a roof, food, safety and probably most importantly peace of mind. Money can also be a major reason for stress. Our relationship with money decides how we deal with money, and our sense of contentedness is a determinant of whether it brings us peace or stress. Money like all other tangible possessions is lifeless and our relationship with it is therefore one sided and completely in our control. Money does nothing to us. It is how we deal with money that affects us.

Having plenty brings joy when it is blessed with humility and gratefulness. Abundance brings love when it is sanctified with kindness and compassion; and it brings peace when it is hallowed with courage and fortitude. Abundance needs to make us inclusive and expansive otherwise no matter how much we have we will suffer from a sense of lack, of paucity.

For my personal use I choose to expand the dictionary definition of abundance - 'in ample quantity to satisfy.' If I am not content, or am yearning for more than needed, of anything - be it tangible or not - I cannot claim to be living an abundant life. It is the sense of contentedness that defines my abundant life and I can honestly say - I am not there yet. Not because I lack in anything, but because I am not yet at peace with what I do have.

I am examining my 'sense of lack' and it comes from a fear of the future. I look around at people of my generation and they are better prepared for the future than I am. This fear is rooted in the past and although I claim to live in the present, my mind is not firmly established in it. I have to regularly pull my mind away from the past and the future. Deeper introspection is called for to weed out this imaginary fear and to develop a strategy to a more secure mindset.

When I examine my life, I see that I have always had enough of everything and much more than enough of many things. The sense of lack is imaginary and completely unfounded. I have so much to be thankful for and I am grateful for all of it. Now if only I can weed the fear out of my psyche, I can truly live a life of abundance in the now. I have begun the process of contemplation on my fear and am sure this too will pass. Hopefully, soon, I will be writing about the results of that process. :)

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