From International Viewpoints (IVy) Issue 18 - August 1994
See Home Page at http://www.ivymag.org/
Philosophical Viewpoints
By Todde Salen, Sweden
Money
Many look at money with awe and wish they had more money.
The reason people have problems with money is of the same nature
as the reason why human beings have problems reaching the state
of OT.
In both cases people study effect and try to become cause
by doing so. Alas that is the wrong way to go about it. You can never
reach true cause by only studying effects. You have to work at
reaching
the cause-point and leave the effect-point. You have to strive to
reach the cause levels (OT levels).
In the case of money this means that you should not care so
much if you have or will get money. Instead you should make sure that
you produce products that others want. If those products are good
enough (compared to other such products in the market) the rewards
will come to you as surely as 'saying amen in the church.'
Sometimes the reward will be money. The greedy at once will then ask:
'What products do I need to produce to get money to roll in?'
But that is the same mistake. Focusing on effect.
There is no definite product, or range of products, you should
produce. If everybody produces the same product, that product will
become worthless. Instead everybody has to find out for her/himself
what she/he can give (help) others with, that they want. If you do
so and then do it so much that you become a professional (i.e. better
than others) in performing, you only need to wait and see how life
will reward you. The more professional you are, the more you can make
(and making something by serving others is 'giving' and 'receiving').
The art of making money in an ethical way (OT) is the art of giving
without reservation. When you have given enough to start receiving
you have come to the point of truly deserving and the rewards will
come. Then you need not praise the Lord or Luck. Instead you can Thank
yourself for having reached cause by industriously causing.
There is no better way to grow as a being (become OT and among
other things make money) and reach the state of OT than by serving
other beings. Or as LRH said, 'A being is only as valuable as
he can serve others.'