Honest Donations Teach Mindful Consumption

 

Mindful consumption of resources on this planet is a lesson to be learned by all who seek spiritual wellbeing.  I read an article recently, where a man had learned the value of that lesson after successfully living without money for over one year (The Man Who Lives Without Money).  He made the following valid points:

 

“If we grew our own food, we wouldn’t waste a third of it today”

“If we made our own tables and chairs, we wouldn’t throw them out the moment we changed the interior décor. If we had to clean our own water, we probably wouldn’t shit in it”

 

Appreciation of what you consume is the gift of having achieved a high level of self-sufficiency.  There is no need to live without money to become a mindful, balanced consumer.  Living by honest donations automatically achieves the same results.

Honest donations applies to both making and spending money.  When receiving payments, honest donations mean you expect a payment for your work, but that you allow the client or employer to choose a meaningful amount.  When spending money, honest donations means you are happy to pay a full amount for the things you love to consume.  You understand that such payment is needed to support the resource you value.  When using services, an honest donation means that you pay them the same amount per hour that you make, regardless of how simple their job may be.  All who put themselves out in this global work force for the benefit of serving others deserve to be treated equal.  A small increase in pay makes sense for those who have decades of experience.  Maybe you don’t get paid by the hour and are not sure how to calculate?  Your heart will know the right amount to pay.

Money in and of itself is neither positive or negative.  It is how and why you use your money, that determines whether it causes problems or solves them.  Living by honest donations heals any ill spending habits that you may have picked up in your lifetime.  On this planet, we are all connected.  The desire to get more than you earned or paid for, has an impact on those who do the real work.  Enjoying bargain shopping or passive income, can only exist with the simultaneous exploitation of the poor and needy.  If you are lucky, life will remind you of the consequence of your actions, as it did for the shopper who found a “cry for help” sewn into the label of her dress.  The label read “forced to work for exhausting hours”.  Even if those being taken advantage of are out of sight, you can be sure that your actions have a direct impact on your very own spiritual wellbeing.  And your spiritual wellbeing is the foundation for your health and happiness.

Learn to be self sufficient.  Learn to be a source of value for the global community.  You may then find that living a simple life, with the thoughtful consumption of limited resources, leads to a most happy life.