Wealth and Poverty
All life within the cosmos is the effect of polar opposites, is the exchange between polar opposite forces.
Those who would like to destroy wealth in order to alleviate poverty have not yet realised that wealth and poverty also need one another in the way every pole needs its opposite pole.
Only when opposite poles remain completely in a state of opposition to each other can life take shape and the work of mankind flourish. – –
Annihilation and corruption are the consequence of polar opposites being abolished. – – –
Whoever really wants to alleviate poverty must will wealth. However, neither poverty nor wealth need manifest those persisting coarse and brutal forms with which mankind is hitherto acquainted. – –
Poverty may be blessed; yet poverty does not imply deprivation…
Wealth can bestow immeasurable benefits; yet it must not wallow sated and without creative power in those nether regions of which a divine teacher once said that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle” than for ‘a rich man’ to enter through the gates of the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’…
A thousand-year old error has held that the resources of this earth are limited and incapable of increase to the extent that it is impossible for all men to live on earth without deprivation, and an idea of ‘wealth’ emerged, which was bound to lead to embitterment among all those suffering from deprivation.
It would have been closer to the truth if they had recognised that it is quite inexcusable for even one person living on earth to suffer from deprivation, but that the wealth of others is in no way the cause of such want. – – –
It is a categorical duty of humanity to ensure that none of its members suffers deprivation; everyone, whoever he is and however he is judged, should have food, clothes and shelter. This duty is immutable, even when the person concerned makes no contribution in any way. –
If he causes harm, he may be isolated; but no one has the right to cause him deprivation in those areas of basic necessity. Neither has anyone the right to deny him those values which his spirit needs should he desire to raise himself from his depths.
Everything which today is called ‘punishment of criminals’ is a deeply unpleasant undertaking; it does not proceed from the perception that the totality of the human organism is very tightly bound together, and that the whole of humanity must also be responsible for the criminal’s act, – as soon as its possibility arises. – – –
Higher perception will one day have here a much more beneficial effect by making crime impossible; whereas today crime is taken to be pretty well as a natural event, and one is just concentrated on ‘punishing’ the criminal. – – – – –
But leaving aside ‘criminals’, there will always be quite a few people whose contribution to the earthly welfare of humanity is not entirely evident. Nevertheless, they are to be protected from actual deprivation, lest mankind in its totality is damaged on their account.
Enough said about the concept of deprivation which humanity must seek to eradicate, lest it suffers harm to the totality of its organism and thereby constantly brings about new forms of harm.
But humanity must never attempt to eradicate poverty and wealth unless it wants to eradicate itself. – – –
Poverty and wealth are opposite poles which influence human life, which keep the total organism of mankind in that state of dynamic tension which will allow it one day to fulfil its cosmic task. –
Woe to humanity if it can no longer regard wealth with respect! – –
Woe to humanity if it no longer bows before poverty with respect! – –
The poor man who bears his poverty with dignity is worthy of all respect. No less worthy of respect is every wealthy man who carries the burden of his wealth, with responsibility, as a loan from humanity! – –
Let each guard against despising the other; let both rich and poor know that they are of equal value to the whole!
But it is wrong to assume that poverty, which mankind needs as much as it does wealth, must always be bordering on deprivation for it to be the opposite pole to wealth. –
Wealth and poverty are very relative concepts.
The higher wealth rises, the higher too will be the threshold of poverty; there may be as opposite of great wealth, a form of ‘poverty’ which, amongst the poor, may be regarded as ‘wealth’.
As a part and ‘centre point’ of mankind as a whole you always have the right to strive for all the wealth this earth can offer you!
How much of it you may obtain will be determined by your karma, your ability to master your own fate. –
But you should always strive for the highest relative ‘wealth’ which by human measure seems to be within your reach by noble means!
You must not think that the opposite pole of the poor will thereby ever suffer a loss.
Even if the number of the rich on earth were a thousand times greater, there would never be a lack of poor people, – and even if everyone on earth became wealthy, there would still be those differences in levels of wealth which would sustain the poles.
The earth is so endlessly rich in resources that this would certainly be possible. However, in our own age it is not to be expected, since the vast majority of people do not know the spiritual laws which determine how the earth bestows its treasures. Even if they were known, only a few would be prepared to observe the laws, since they demand the spoils of the earth without observing these laws. – – –
Here too, above all others, the law of exchange or compensation holds sway. You will never be able to receive and keep something for which you have not paid the full price or for which you are not willing to pay the equivalent in full value. – –
Perhaps today or tomorrow you may receive something without settlement and you will believe you have permanent possession of it. Yet all too soon you will have lost it, no matter how much you take heed to keep it within your possession. –
Here the most inexorable spiritual laws hold sway; they cannot be bent just like the laws which material forces obey in the external world.
You have a right to all wealth; but if you wish to obtain even a modest level of wealth, you must consent to give the equivalent for it! – – –
You will say to me that you know wealthy people who have their wealth from their fathers. Yet this in no wise contradicts the expounded law.
In all cases the corresponding values have been paid. If the heir fails to provide for a continuing further compensation, he will surely one day lose the possessions he received from others.
This may take a long time and only affect the heir’s descendants, for the spiritual laws always work in accordance with the impulse which once sought to satisfy them.
A rapidly amassed fortune will disappear as rapidly, unless new impulses can protect it. Possessions which were hard to come by will survive for a long time, even if their heirs are certainly unworthy of them. – –
Do not even consider that there is some ‘injustice’ at play here!
And you will certainly not be deprived of anything!
You are always free to achieve whatever you can achieve, and you can achieve what you truly want to achieve. – – –
It should not bother you that others possess much without having acquired it themselves.
The wealth that the earth possesses is so immeasurably great that there will always be available the most immense of riches for you. – – – – –
Yet do not confuse your wishes with your will!!
Your wishes will only achieve something if they should succeed in convincing your will of their cause.
Men of strong will have created almost immeasurable wealth, although they had to set out from deepest poverty; – men of strong wishes can be found on every street corner. You will rarely meet one who in the end could make manifest even the slightest of his wishes through his will…
If you would create the wealth which is within your reach, then beware of envy! – – – –
If you would yourself one day become a ‘rich man’, albeit you desire the wealth of a rich poor man, you must see in every wealthy man you meet a promise assuring you that you will reach your goal.
You must learn to take pleasure in the existence of the wealthy; you must value their wealth as a precondition for the fulfilment of your will. –
If you want to become ‘rich’, then beware of ‘saving’ like a miser! – –
You will certainly find enough wealthy men who are extremely ‘thrifty’, but you would search in vain should you want to show me someone who was genuinely wealthy as a result only of ‘thrift’. – – – – – – –
If you want to become ‘rich’ and believe that ‘wealth’ is essential for your happiness on earth, put yourself to the acid test and find the equivalents with which you are minded to pay for the wealth you hope to acquire! – – –
Nothing will ever be given to you for free, neither on earth nor in all eternity; if you ever find yourself in a situation where you have to accept gifts, even if they are only conventional gifts given on festive occasions, ask yourself straightaway how you can repay mankind as a whole for these gifts. Otherwise you will have to pay for them in ways you certainly do not desire…
You see, it is not very easy to fulfil all the conditions required of you, if you want to ever acquire ‘wealth’, even if it is only modest. – –
But believe me, – all those who have ever acquired wealth have only done so in this way, even if they were unable to give an account of it themselves!
An exchange of goods continually takes place on this earth.
There is nothing you can acquire or hold on to for long if you refuse to give back in equal value of what you have. –
If you have nothing to give, then it is only right not to expect anything!
You will acquire no more than what matches the price paid. – – –
Do not be deceived!
Remorseless laws hold sway in these matters. You can only ever gain ‘wealth’ through the exchange of values residing within you…