6 Tips for Surviving an Economic Crisis with your Self Intact part 2
6 Tips for Surviving an Economic Crisis with your Self Intact
Zen and the Art of Crisis Management
However you sniff around it, it smells like a crisis. But perhaps it is more of a crisis of perception and self-definition rather than a true lack in the material world. Everything is still here, no continents or oceans have been lost. What has changed is how we valuate materials and services, how we exchange our life energy through financial instruments, and how we pledge and guarantee current and future exchanges. Oh, and how much you had accumulated going into this thing.
It’s not about the loss (on a macro scale) of any real estate, or other “real”, concrete commodities, rather it is more about our expectations and fears, our perceptions and system of values. Yeah, we have kind of built a fantasy world around what we value, and since it is mostly external stuff, others can easily manipulate it. The stock market, exotic unsecured financial instruments, ponzi and pyramid schemes, they all depend on the “bigger fool” theory. And fools who define themselves in terms of what they can possess do abound.
The opposite is true of one’s inner values. To paraphrase Blake, cleanse your perceptions and you will see things as they really are. Be present, grounded and centered, and no storm can topple you. If you value emotional intelligence, joy, and the sacred transience of your life and of others over the accumulation of mere things, chances are you will live a rich and abundant life. You can manifest a Zen core of Being regardless of the quantity of material things you obtain, and the relative value our society places upon them. Yes, better to be a Zen beggar blissful in Nirvana than a billionaire debased in a private Hell.
Whether we are fully cognizant of it or not, we are desperatly yearning for something to help us deal with the demons of economic and work-related stress, and the spiritual vacuum within us that gives these demons a place to live. © 2009 Keith E. Hall & www.inner-tranquility.com. All rights reserved. Contact us for reprint information.
Part 3: 6 Tips for Self-Mastery in an Economic Crisis
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