If you tune into your favorite Instagram wellness influencer or financial life coach, you’ll learn that money is really a state of mind—right? Thinking the right thoughts is the truest judge of character, and therefore indicative of your bottom line. This week Derek looks at research from behavioral economics, which found the perceived relationship between wealth and morality dates back to post-WWII America—and has damaged the poorest among us for generations. He weighs evidence from this field, which looks at the real societal and political causes of wealth disparity, against the metaphysical bullshit that proponents of the “mindset creates wealth” uber-text, A Course in Miracles, try to sell you.Show NotesWhy we shouldn’t push a positive mindset on those in povertyThe Causal Effects of Place on Health and Longevity
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Thank you.
So we have, because we are an ego-oriented society, the Course in Miracles says that the world as we know it is dominated by a thought system based on fear.
And so the big question that we ask is, what do I need to do to make it happen?
Okay, right there.
Our thought system is based on fear.
Well, yeah, if you're afraid that you won't be able to source dinner tonight for you and your family, that makes sense.
But that's not what she means.
This is an aspirational theology, one that aspires to more than enough.
It doesn't consider that so many don't even have enough.
And what are you supposed to do?
The answer is never rely on the goodwill of people in positions of powers to untilt the playing field.
But that's really the only thought that makes sense in this situation.
But she goes on.
So, the first thing you're supposed to do, according to the ego's thought system, is figure out what you want.
Figure out what you want to make happen, and then strategize what to do to make it happen.
Right?
Okay.
Now, compare that with the imagery of pregnancy.
Yeah, if you think it's about to go off the rails, you're right.
Now, the imagery of pregnancy is that something is growing inside you.
And you know, I remember once when I was pregnant with my daughter, I remember one day sitting there in an easy chair, drinking a cup of chamomile tea with my feet up on a pillow and thinking to myself, isn't it interesting?
The action I can take right now that most serves the process of what is growing inside me is to simply sit here.
And I have noticed how often that is true in almost every area of my life.
That the most powerful thing I can do is reflect on what's happening and simply be here with this and allow it to grow inside me.
Because from A Course in Miracles' perspective, the issue is not that you are to figure out what you want to make happen and then quote-unquote manifest your dreams.
It would be more like God himself is dreaming through us.
What the serious fuck?
First off, of course you were on an easy chair.
It's amazing how we don't even realize what our metaphors reveal about ourselves sometimes, but just sit with it?
I know I haven't gotten to the articles and studies yet, we're almost there, but I have to point out that this mentality has existed in spiritual communities at least since the Industrial Revolution, but really it's also a part of the concepts of Manifest Destiny and American Exceptionalism.
You can't ask questions when you don't have a voice that's being heard.
And besides, as I just mentioned, people who have the opportunity to do something about this situation are not.
Now, let's see how this plays out in terms of money.
The last clip I'm going to run is from A Course in Miracles master teacher, David Hoffmeister, whose influence is pretty impressive.
He has 565,000 Facebook followers, 253,000 YouTube subscribers, and 181,000 Twitter followers.
I wish in this podcast you can see the actual video, but I posted this clip on our Instagram last week if you want a reference.
Because when you see him wave his arms around as he tries to explain whatever this is, it just adds another level of amusement and tragedy.
What about a state of mind where you didn't really believe in money?
You didn't even believe in money.
That the spirit could use it as part of the dance, but you didn't believe that it was anything positive or negative.
It was just part of the dance.
It was like leaves blowing in the wind, you know?
You weren't looking at those leaves blowing in the wind and saying, oh that looks like gain over there, and oh that's loss there.
Can you imagine how crazy that is if you had a tree that had hundreds of leaves?
And suddenly there's a big gust of wind that comes and blows, we'll say, several hundred leaves off the tree.
Do you really think the tree is going, Oh my, I'm so sad.
I've just lost 300 leaves.
Do you really think the tree is thinking that it's lost 300 leaves?
Now, human beings seem to believe in this thing of gain and loss and reciprocity and scarcity and everything.
But again, those are ego beliefs.
Those are not...
Laws, the one law of love, the law of God.
That's why we have to relinquish, we have to let go of believing in those things.
Only someone with money would ever say you have to let go of believing in money.
It's so ridiculous and tone deaf and ignorant.
But instead of me trying to stay calm as my blood boils, let's look at the main article I want to discuss.
And again, remember, When you're talking about these spiritual communities, they're often surrounded by people of like means, or if you're in the position of cult leader, not necessarily, but you've put yourself above everyone and you try to even the playing field by making sure everyone else is on the same relative scale.
But that is always going to be a small sample size of a larger population.
And that was my point in bringing in those numbers and misperceptions that we have earlier.
Because you're always defining yourself by your surroundings and your peers and your influence group.
And if you think that you're not, take part in some studies because it'll be pretty enlightening.
