Wealth
- Karen McGinnis
- Jun 30, 2021
- 4 min read
Wealth
“He’s got it made!”
We have heard or said this about someone who has a hefty bank account and lives an uber-materialistic lifestyle.
Do we say the same thing about someone who has a comfortable shelter, a reciprocally loving relationship with a partner, a family that is cohesive and a job that is fulfilling?
Notice that the second description does not necessarily have much to do with money. The party that “has it made” moneywise, may not feel they posses the elements of the second person described. Perhaps as a culture it is time we evaluated our perception of wealth.
Wealth is a quantity of money or valuable possessions. It intimates an abundance of something deemed to be valuable. Remember this definition. It plays into our discussion of wealth.
Often money is equated with wealth. An accumulation of money that exceeds what is needed for survival is often squirreled away. In the long view, it becomes wealth. But money itself is a social construct. It has “value” because we as humans have assigned it “value”. We call an abundance of money…wealth.
In trading history, before money became a place holder, goods were exchanged for other goods. Obviously, the barter system is unwieldy in the midst of rapid, diverse and quantitative trading situations. Money was created.
After the barter system came the land system of wealth. The more land you had claim to, the wealthier you were. This of course was not unique to the Americas. It existed throughout history and throughout the world. Along with land came the need to have it cared for, put into production, and then have a system of passing on the wealth and all that went with it. The evolution and history of wealth is a complicated and convoluted one.
One of our oldest guides to exactly what wealth is and its inherent value and usage date back to ancient religious texts. We are warned that not wealth itself is bad, but rather the “love of money” is the basis of evil. Obsession with wealth is warned against.
A little reflection on this idea by the reader will lead to ways in which this warning is as true today as it was when it originated thousands of years ago.
As recently as 2019, a gathering of holistic thinkers concluded that hoarding wealth is just wrong. Conversely, sharing of wealth is good. After reflection on this, the reader can see that this applies to a multitude of situations.
The thinkers concluded that the care of creation and each other is a universal obligation. In their opinion, man is called to create social, intellectual, physical and spiritual wealth. It is a universal obligation. Wealth accumulated through business (remember trading and land) carries with it an obligation to create a social benefit and a moral imperative.
Social benefit means many things. Job creation, education, health improvement, and with thought, the list is long. We say a town is wealthy when there is good access for all to education, parks and open space. It is cared for and available. There is shelter for all who need it, food and water are present and safe. The availability of employment is multilayered and offers opportunity to those who seek it. The residents are healthy and content. Some reject this as socialistic and unrealistic. That in itself is an interesting position.
There are many who have used wealth in the ways described. More people are literate today than ever before in recorded history. Along with reading, goes the possibility of education, exploration, innovation, appreciation and inquiry. People are living longer. The industrial revolution and the information revolution offered new ways to create goods, value and the appreciation of brain power. More people today have clean water and improved means of sanitation. There exist beneficial and representative governments. As a result of these changes, the life span and IQ of humans has increased. At the same time, discrepancies in all these areas still exist.
The responsibilities of those with “wealth” has increased. Self aggrandizement and accumulation of things (or money) is not an end in itself. It raises a question of how much (money) is enough. Is there an “enough” for some people? Is it possible to be wealthy when someone near you is in want and suffering because of it? What benefits the accumulation of wealth when the future of the planet that contributed to it is in question?
Larger questions raised have certainly presented themselves for consideration. The questions and answers are not within the scope of this discussion but are available for thought. The bottom line may be an age-old observation that has existed in many forms throughout written history. “To whom much is given, much is expected.”
What do you have a wealth of? And how are you using it? A question for us all.
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As always, the purpose of articles in A Place for the Eye to Rest is not to give answers, but to present areas of exploration and inquiry. Readers will draw conclusions that are unique to them. For more articles go to https://karenmac1999.wixsite.com/website-1 and select BLOG in the header.
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For further research on this current subject go to referenced sites below, your local library, or search engine under WEALTH.
https://www.ncfgiving.com/stories/a-wealth-creation-manifesto
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Comment? Questions? Improvements? Karenmac1999@hotmail.com
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