At the Root

Had the most interesting conversation with a friend yesterday about a world without money. It seems there is this idea or ideal out there that it is possible, and everything she told me was, indeed endearing, but the more I think about it, the more I see that to lay blame on something outside of ourselves is so totally not the way to go.

Money is not the root of all evil. Greed (avarice), lust, anger, pride and attachment - these are the things that destroy human integrity and create the monsters like consumerism that have grown almost out of control. It is the endless desire for more that whips at our tired and aching backs and demands more work. It is pride that makes us judge others as better or lesser than ourselves and creates the monsters of "I'm better than you" images and actions to match. It is attachment to things that makes us angry when things aren't as we want or expect and this causes feuds among people and hatred.

No, it is very cool to think of a world without money, but it is the intent behind money that has gotten our world into so much trouble. If we took away all the money, it would be something else -like, rocks or something - and we can't just keep taking away things to solve the problems, we have to deal with what is underneath the money if we want to change the world.

The real leverage we have, the only real way to change the world, is in doing anything NOT for personal gain. It comes down to serving others, selfless service, seva. When you begin exalting selfless service rather than the products money can buy, you begin to change an entire culture of thinking and being.

At the root of all evil is that we have forgotten to serve.

What can you do to change that?

Blessings.
- Darshan



© 2010 Darshan F Jessop