31 Jan Money Doesn’t Buy Anything Important
Money doesn’t buy anything important; we buy something important to us, and sometimes we buy it with money. This is a photograph of Kaweah Falls in California–but it is also what RAISING CLARITY’s house in the dreaming looks like on the outside. We take people here sometimes in our coaching’s guided meditations.
Money Doesn’t Buy Anything Important
I had a wonderful comment about a recent post from my soul-colleague Marissa. Last week, when I wrote, “Money doesn’t buy anything important,” Marissa questioned me:
….Having a beautiful house to live in and a kitchen to cook in is important. Healthy high quality food to eat is important. Medicine for sick bodies is important. Living in a place you feel comfortable and safe and have access to community who is healthy for you and conducive to your growth is important. Those are all things to buy that are very, very important… I can’t see how I would possibly get them without money!…
I love when people question me!
What Is Important?
Much of what Marissa values, I value too. Beauty is vital to me. It’s important to me too to live in safety and comfort. I also find personal growth essential, although I don’t find it in community. Medicine is not important to me but health is.
What Makes Important Things Important?
Whatever we value is important. Notice that some of what Marissa values, I value. Some of what I want is different. It’s vital to know what values you are using money to satisfy, because
It’s entirely possible to spend lots of money and not get what you actually value. This has happened to me more times than I can remember.
It’s entirely possible to spend no money to get what you value most. This is more and more what is happening to me now.
It’s also possible that what you value is obtained by refusing to exchange it for money. This is also happening to me a lot lately, because what I find I value is the spaciousness of being that comes with having my time to myself.
What Are Some of the Many Ways We Can Get What’s Important to Us?
Regardless of where you find yourself with respect to these possibilities, it’s simply important to understand that money doesn’t buy anything important. We use it to buy what we value, but we could use all kinds of exchanges:
- barter
- trade
- work
- organizing as a group to get something
- prayer
- affirmation
- changing the way we live and our limitations on what is possible
- asking for them from people we believe could give them
- what other ideas do you have?
It is fine to use money to get what we value. But in order to be empowered with money, it’s first important to know what we value. Then we are not driven by the money. We are driven by what we value to get it.
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Posted at 11:14h, 14 February[…] Money is secondary. It’s a means to an end–whether you are fundraising or managing your money peacefully and ethically. What’s important is what’s important to you, or your organization. We urge you: please don’t be swayed by our silly culture. Please don’t care what you are supposed to want. Please want what you want. Money is a means to that end and it’s not even the only means. […]
Marissa
Posted at 01:28h, 11 FebruaryI am learning so much from you, Beth! Wow! I am floored, because I am realizing that a lot of what I value doesn’t require ANY MONEY WHATSOEVER. For example, one of my highest, highest values is freedom/courageousness/adventure. That’s an act of will. Yet I (sometimes) blame it on money. “I can’t go on that adventure — I don’t have the money.” “I shouldn’t go on that adventure — I don’t have the money.” In reality, it’s not about the money. It’s about energy. If I had the energy, I’d find a way to either get the money or get other resources that replaced the money so that I could do the thing. I think. I’m new at this, but that’s the hunch that I have. This is interesting.
And then there are other things I value that do require money! For instance, there’s a snowstorm on its way to where I live. I drive a small car. I’d like to be out adventuring in the snow, and I’d like to do it safely. I’d like a sturdy car, with high clearance and four wheel drive, and I’d like snow tires, and I’d like equipment in my car like a snow shovel and snow blankets and snow boots. And I’d like hiking gear that was safe and warm to hike in the snow in, like waterproof pants and waterproof hiking boots. I’d like to have the tools to allow me to experience freedom in this kind of weather. And money would buy me those tools. BUT, the tools wouldn’t be any good if I didn’t have the energy or desire to use them. So that’s an example of how money could get me, indirectly, what’s important to me. Money is the tool that allows me to get what’s important to me. Money isn’t the important thing.
I feel like I am totally tracking what you are saying is driving us. I feel like I get it and I am stoked that I feel like I get it!
Beth
Posted at 16:42h, 11 FebruaryMarissa, thank you. You honor me with your attentive consideration. I will continue to love hearing your thoughts, differing with mine and identifying with them as well. Wow, what a great thing to have your comments and to have this blog!
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Posted at 11:13h, 07 February[…] it for you; this is the question we have been RAISING CLARITY about in our past few posts. Start here for some help if you like. And here’s a quick take on what I am not saying about […]