Wealth – Highlights from Laddership Call # 4

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” -  Mother Teresa

“Love says 'I am everything.' Wisdom says 'I am nothing.' Between the two, my life flows.”
― Nisargadatta Maharaj, I Am That




Somik started the call by posing two seed questions: What is a practice you tried this week?
What's an encounter with multiple or less obvious form(s) of capital you've experienced? He also mentioned that both our sacred intentions to work on ourselves and an awareness of systems need attention.

Hang participated in no particular practice this week.  She stated that Vietnam is currently facing a serious pollution issue.  Many fishermen are losing their livelihood.  There has been an admission of fault and a desire to reconcile with millions of US dollars.  This reinforced for Hang that wealth doesn’t mean money – it means biodiversity and ecology.  Without these elements, wealth is meaningless.  The sea and all it contains is priceless.

Manu practiced kindness, inspired by Bonnie’s reflections on conditional vs. unconditional giving.  She tried to become more unconditional. This has been challenging but interesting.  She noticed that everything interconnects.  Her increased kindness yields increased attention, free time, sharing ideas, and respect. 

Ameeta appreciated the Money is A lot Like Water article.  She has struggled with the balance of how much money to save for safety’s sake vs. how much to give away for maximum benefit.  She noted that a redistribution of wealth is called for in our current society.  She has felt blessed in her life.

Donna practiced “not sweating the small stuff.”  She has had four extra people staying in her home, thus has had more mess and disorder.  She handled it well as she surrendered to hosting, giving hospitality, time, and friendship.  This was a good investment.  Donna has also been consciously smiling more in public places and noting the impact.

Amir thanked the ladder-ship circle.  He has two weeks off from work in a period of transition and the reading this week helped him clarify the process.  He focused on letting go.  He also practiced sitting in the present moment and seeing what comes up.  His two young boys have a lot of activities that they attend.  He has been able to sit with this in their world.  Today Amir set aside some time to work on projects, but his brother-in-law needed some help.  Amir watched his concerns arise, allowed them and let them go.  His definition of wealth used to be financial but the capital of time, family and friends is more enjoyable. He is letting go of many conditions that have taken over his life.  It is an energetic transition for him and he asks, “What do I define as wealth that I share with the world?”

Penny had an amazing week.  She started a hypno-birthing class as her baby is due in 4 weeks.  She shared that while she works intensely on her NGO, her baby kicking within reminds her of another dimension of life.  She knows her life is about to change and the transitions are happening in perfect timing.  Many good things are evolving in her organization to support the next phase of her life.  She is developing greater trust in what to do and sticking to her values, while cultivating a spirit of gratefulness for every donor.  Whatever is given is enough – and a generous sponsor helped the organization reach its fundraising goal.

Monica shared that she is feeling under the weather but this reminds her that health is a form of wealth.  She is resting and making self-care a priority.  She noted issues of balance regarding the flow of money.  In the past her family was not “savings oriented.”  Today in America, she is open and tends to give more than she has to create community.  She continues to seek balance. 

Bonnie stated that just as she has made peace with being a public speaker, she intends to make peace with her concerns about money.  She practiced focusing on values this week with a “stuck” place in her organization.  There was a lack of volunteers for a certain project.  When she restated the values along with her detachment from the outcome a number of people stepped forward to serve. 

Birju was moved by a comment made by Parag on the breakout call:  ROE = Return of Equanimity.  In himself, he has noticed discomfort as a catalyst toward greater equanimity practice.  He applied this during the week, when someone approached him with grasping energy.  Birju behaved differently than we would have in the past.  It was uncomfortable yet the interaction shifted.  He described it as a concrete micro-moment of change.

Parag expressed his gratitude for rain in India after 2 years of drought.  This week he has practiced various forms of capital including time and attention.

Audrey shared a story of running late to a gathering yet stopping to support to children and their lemonade stand.  Visible capital was transferred to the children – i.e. money.  But there was also an exchange of time, attention, connection, and support.  Audrey appreciated how adults supported her when she was a child and wondered what seeds might have been planted in her recent lemonade stand moment. 

Somik shared that he has a new intern at work.  It is difficult to find proper training opportunities for interns.  But what started as a perception of scarcity shifted when he put an ad on Linked In and found someone with needs that matched the intern’s training needs.  The perfect fit arrived as he practiced letting go and flow. 

Jaideep checked in by stating that he has been trying to speak at more community events.  He has been meeting and engaging with people, and building community. 

Once the check-in was complete, Audrey, Birju and Somik inspired the open mic section of our call.
 
Audrey reminded us of Somik’s check-in – where there is a perfect fit, this creates a ripple effect.  She expressed a desire for us to explore questions or areas around different forms of capital.  She also noted that during the breakout call, Parag “put on his business hat,” and shared thoughts about a progression he underwent.  He started in business with wanting a Return on Equity.  This shifted to a Return on Ego.  Then this changed to Return on Equanimity – “No matter what comes back, I can still have equanimity,” he stated. 

Birju shared that he had an MBA and a background in investing.  He is currently trying to see a bigger picture in the world of finance.  He discovered that money comes with design principles.  Our entire system is based on the premise that there is not enough.  Various studies have shown that beliefs in scarcity reduce compassion, empathy, metabolism, will power and more.   Scarcity erodes our natural capacities.  If abundance is something that we want, how do we engage with that?  How do we engage skillfully with design principles around scarcity and abundance?

Somik also noted that management structures are built around scarcity.  Scarcity leads to stress.  He tries to change the narrative around scarcity in concrete ways as in encouraging people to leave work at 5pm.  He asked, “How do we bring abundance into every aspect of our decision making?”

Somik also shared patterns he noted on the call:  Biodiversity, smiles, presence, time, knowledge, kindness, time and attention, letting go, values, self-trust, gratitude, faith, peace, balance between fluidity and rigidity, interconnectedness, skillfulness, intention and community…..

Amir revisited the idea that scarcity reinforces stress.  He noted that it also reinforces fear.  He asked, “When we have a culture that reinforces scarcity, how do we change ourselves.”  He noted that current structures emphasize competition and kindness can be perceived as a threat to business.  He sees these issues as issues of balance and changing the self.

Ameeta noted that it doesn’t matter how much you have when the economy is set up to produce feelings of scarcity.  She reminded us of Mother Teresa who (paraphrased) said that the feeling of knowing you have enough is a form of liberation.  Ameeta noted that she personally has more than enough and wondered how we can help others realize that they have enough.  She stressed the importance of education – teaching children about the sense of having enough and the liberation in brings. 

Monica reminded us that there is no one absolute truth around scarcity and abundance, how much to give and how much to save.  She raised the issue of balance.

Birju quoted Parker Palmer, who stated “The gift that is not mine to give is not in service to anyone.” 

Hang emphasized the importance of time capital.   Time is important and change also takes time, as was pointed out by Warren Buffett when he noted that it takes a woman 9 months to produce a baby.  Hang stated that paying attention builds attention capital.  She noted that many of us have a sense of urgency and perhaps nothing is urgent.  A good organization has less stress.   In her own life, she would like to work less and enjoy more of the space between the notes.  Hang also stated that emotion drives attention/intention.  There is emotional capital and she sees this in people who know what they want to do and why they want to do it.  She shared how she sometimes asks people “What was your childhood dream.”  Their answers are often quite simple and often move them to tears.  She urged us to look deeply into what we want to do.

Audrey noted that compassion capital needs attention capital.  She asked us “What does that look like?”

Jaideep shared that equanimity is important as is conscious living and attention capital.  He has noticed how his approach affects others.

Somik stated that capitals are finite and infinite.  Love and time are two capitals.  He asked “What does love have to do with time.”  He shared that love is inexhaustible; nevertheless, the separation of finite and infinite capitals is interesting.

Amir shared that education can be tied to scarcity, as teachers are often in that mindset. 

Parag appreciated the story from Lynne Twist regarding $50 vs. $50K.  He asked “Why did she find the $50 more valuable?”  He also stated that most problems are greater than money.

Ameeta wondered about balance and people who have nothing.

Bonnie shared that perhaps beyond the belief in scarcity of resources such as money, there is an underlying belief that we are not enough.  Perhaps the healing of scarcity on the outside begins with healing the sense of inner scarcity. 

Penny asked if we were spending our attention on dualities.  She reminded us of the call to explore the spaces in between and find a third way.  She asked “What is our freshest thinking” on these issues?”

Birju invited Penny (and all of us) to dissolve duality on the ladder-ship feed.

Donna noted that tapping into gratitude helps her feel abundant.  She spoke of her grandfather who grew up in an orphanage.  Despite humble beginnings, he was a generous man and she was able to witness a huge energy of giving through him.  She tries to help her children feel like they have enough.  She also mentioned that a lot of money controls media, education, medicine, etc.  She noted that perhaps we are the ones to shift the consciousness around scarcity and expressed an overflow of abundance for our circle.

Manu shared that if you have food, a roof over your head, the internet, an education, etc. – you have enough.  Knowing that you are enough is more important.  She also expressed the importance of the balance of opposites and exploring what is in between the dualities. 

Birju again urged us to put the questions on the laddership feed. 

Jaideep said something about money and impact, but unfortunate technical difficulties got in the way.

Birju stated that we also have the opportunity to be designers.  He noted the importance of broader questions to invite creativity.  He asked “How would you design life to invite more abundance in?”

Monica shared the concept of minimalism.  She noted the importance of health and stated we have enough.

Somik closed our conversation with a story about a man who ran a cigarette shop  in India and was also a chain smoker.  He once asked a monk once for guidance.  The monk told him, “Ask where do your thoughts come from.  Become free.”  He did so and found his freedom. In his later life, this cigarette shop owner would be regarded as a great spiritual teacher sharing numerous gems of wisdom while at the same time, taking a drag on his cigarette. 

The spiritual teacher represents a way of seeing the self and finding freedom while transcending concepts.  The third way cannot reject any form of duality.  It won’t come out of one person’s mind, it will arrive from circles.  There is no one right answer.

Circles hold space; they are a way forward; the space holds every element of duality.  Wealth is a goddess too.  It comes to us to serve everyone.

We ended with a moment of gratitude. 

Once again, it was an honor to serve in this manner.  If I misquoted or if I can serve you better, please let me know.  With Love, Bonnie