"Global Spiritual Economy"

As we watch Japan in the aftermath of this tragedy and send our thoughts out to all the people suffering, conversations in our house have been enlightening. My son (10) asked me "Mommy, how do you survive a Tsunami?". I had no answer for him. Some things are too big and hit too fast to have a plan for. I asked Kurt (he is in finance and I am learning that there is a beauty and an art to the web and movements of the economy) how this will effect Japan's economy and how it will effect the world. I was an Art Major (health major). I loved studying art history. The art of any given period reflects the "pulse" of the time and people it was created around. It expresses the politics, sociology and social trends, giving a much fuller understanding of the culture it was created in. Money and finance has never been of any interest to me. I am learning that (and this is amazing to me) the "global economy" is a lot like art. If you watch the history and movement of "the money" in the world, you will see the history of almost every major discovery and development of man kind.

When I asked Kurt if the tragedy in Japan will change the economy here, the answer was a beautiful one. He said "Many people will imagine that was is bad for someone else must be good for us but it doesn't work like that. It is a global economy. It is like we are a big woven structure and all the countries of the world are threads that interlock. What is bad for one is bad for all. The whole structure is damaged and comes down."

This "global economy" is beautiful to me when I think about it like that. I can see that there is a "spiritual global economy". Every one of us is a string that is woven into the web of mankind. The trend towards "green" and "giving" that is happening in our country and world is elevating all of us. Unfortunately, on the other side of the balancing scale, we have tabloids, hacking, scams, gossip and celebrity news.

No single person can change the world but every single person can help keep the part of that weave above their heads elevated. By living an authentic life and giving what you can when you can, you help keep that interlocking web over our heads, up. Sometimes just saying hello and looking someone in the eye is a "gift". There a million little ways to do good built into our days. Every minute we make decisions of what our behavior, actions and thoughts will be. We teach our children by how we speak to taxi drivers and if we even notice the person bagging our groceries. I truly believe that our own happiness is directly connected to our behavior towards others. Karma isn't something that is off in the distance like some big abacus counting out the good and bad of our lives. Karma is here and now. We live in joy or misery we express in our words and deeds.

If you imagine that "global spiritual economy" as a web like a tent that keep us safe, we keep that web up by our deeds, thoughts and intentions. When tragedy strikes (and it will) and that tent comes crashing down on our heads, we either push it back up or we are entangled in it and fall.

On a very small scale, we do this every day. How we judge others and ourselves. When we feel envy towards others and misery towards ourselves, we are lost and tangled in that web. How can we feel joy, acceptance and love for ourselves unless we can feel it towards everyone. There is no "competition". We are not kicking and crawling over each other to reach some prize. We are a team. We pull each other up. We stand on each other's shoulders and give each other a boost. If we don't all get there (wherever "there" is), nobody does.

If I could wave a magic wand and give you a perfect body, would you be happy? Do you want everyone around you to be jealous of you ? If we view our lives as a competition, we cannot ever "win". There is no joy in isolation and friction with the people around us. I believe that our physical beings are in many ways a reflection of who we are.

In this challenge, the biggest "challenge" is to reject the damaging pattern, that our culture seems to ferment, pitting one woman against another. (Obviously men too but women are far worse) We need to understand that our fibers are woven together. What uplifts one, uplifts us all. If you see someone (especially someone who has not been very nice to you) who has suddenly lost weight, married a great guy, been promoted or has a killer outfit, the hardwiring reaction is to be jealous and resentful. I get that. Ask yourself though, after you see that person and have that reaction, do you feel good about yourself ? No. You feel like a black cloud is following you and you feel "yucky" about the whole thing. If we can turn that around and understand that joy and "good" for one is good for all, you can change your life. This is not easy. Especially if you are in a place in your life that you are not happy. I believe without question that this is the secret of happiness though. To train yourself to truly feel joy for others. To not have it be "not about you", will free you. The web above your head will be lifted and you will be able to breath. Just like training a muscle, this will take some work and some pain may be involved. With time, you will get to actually enjoy it and it will get easier.

To view yourself without judgement and with joy, you must view all people that way. To have joy in your life you have to take joy in others. It is so simple and so logical. We have among us in the challenge some amazing women. Last night as I sat alone (a rare and splendid anomoly) watching Law and Order (my guilty pleasure), when Deb appeared. She was there on my television looking sultry and beautiful. I jumped in my chair. She was so impressive. I had a decision right then. I could be either A)threatened and jealous or B)really proud and happy for her. I chose the later. I emailed her right away. I felt great about seeing her and thinking she was so beautiful. The very opposite thing would have happened had I chosen option A. Within the safety net of our group, it is easier to feel "on each other's sides". Try to extend this beyond to the (this is real hard part) people who don't extend it for you.

I was talking to a model in our group. She is stunning. She was saying how hard it is around people from her home town. They treat her differently. She wonders if she has changed. Almost certainly, it is not "about her". The resentment and jealousy she must bring out in others must be terrible. She can feel it like a spider web she has walked through. Subtle and invisible put covering her. She is punished for her beauty through not fault of her own. She can't change this reaction. We can all learn from it though. How isolating and sad that her true beauty is wasted. Her friendship thrown away, leaving her lonely and sad and these "friends" feeling miserable for sure and certainly no better about themselves.

In my life, just like yours, there are people who are most certainly "not on my side". It is a struggle to be on theirs. That is what I need to be though. I can only change my behavior, thoughts and deeds. Sometimes, you fight that battle alone. To elevate and "love" someone who is doing their best to drag that net above your head down, is really hard. It takes constant training and exercise to stay strong enough to keep pushing it up.

I support you in this noble and exhausting "dance". Together we support each other. The real power of this challenge comes from that.

Story von Holzhausen