by Lynne Twist
This book is such a fresh and inspiring take on the subject of money. Figuring out how to relate to money differently is such an important piece to creating a more just and sustainable world. The following, an interview with the author, is a great summary of the book:
Lynne Twist is a veteran global activist and fundraiser.
Q. Your book, THE SOUL OF MONEY, examines our relationship with money – how we earn it, how we use it, how we spend it, and how we give it away. Is money really that big of an issue for most people?
LYNNE TWIST: We all have an identifiable, though largely unexamined relationship with money that shapes our experience of life and our deepest feelings about ourselves and others. Money is the most universally motivating, maligned and misunderstood part of life. Money is how we measure our competence and self worth and whether we are rich or poor we all find ourselves in the grip of fantasies and fears about money, obsessing about it in ways that can make it a destructive power in our lives. The process of transforming our relationship with money requires that we confront our fears around money, our addiction and attachment to money as well as our guilt and hurts around money. Money drives so much about human behavior in the world today, and we can see the adverse consequences in global terms when we look at patterns of violence, oppression and other social, political and economic inequities. At a personal level, we’ve all seen the way money often undermines relationships with family, friends and work associates. Now, more than ever, it’s imperative that we understand our individual relationship with money so that we can begin to align our decisions about money with our deepest core values and highest commitments. This is what will ultimately bring us the most happiness AND make the world a better place.
Q. How can understanding our relationship with money change our lives?
LYNNE TWIST: When we are engrossed in the money game we often grow selfish, greedy, petty, fearful, or controlling. We get caught up in our fears of not having enough and become disconnected from our soul in order to “get what’s ours” or constantly “get more.” When we let go of the unquestioned chase for more, and ground ourselves in appreciation of what we have, we discover the wealth of our own sufficiency. We experience the prosperity of “enough” and we find a kind of peace and freedom with money and with ourselves. When we express that by directing our money – no matter what the amount – toward things we believe in, we can discover and experience that generous, courageous and committed place in ourselves.
Q. What do you mean by learning to live with enough?
LYNNE TWIST: There comes a point where having more than we need becomes a burden. We are overcompensated, overstuffed, swimming in the excess, looking for satisfaction in more or different. We live in a world where the prevailing belief is in scarcity. We don’t believe we have enough time, enough energy, enough love, and we are all pretty certain we don’t have enough money. Those beliefs drive us to over-consume, over-spend, over-eat, always thinking we still need more. We also buy into the myths that there’s not enough to go around, more is definitely better and the resignation of “that’s just the way it is.” I had the good fortune to be mentored by the great futurist and humanist, R. Buckminster Fuller. He taught me that at this point in our evolution we can choose to move from a you-or-me world – a world where either you win or I win, or we can commit to a you-and-me world where all of us have enough food, enough water, enough land, enough housing and enough of the fundamental things for each one of us to live a fulfilling and productive life. This uncommon vision requires a shift in the very basis of the way we relate to one another AND the way we relate to money. Ultimately it shifts the way we relate to ourselves and the world.
For the full summary Download the_soul_of_money.doc
