No Statistics for Inner Poverty
Most of us are beggars
and feel-good junkies,
“They are but beggars that can’t count their own worth.”
― with apologies to William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
by Henry Makow Ph.D.
(Updated and revised from May 18, 2014)
Excellent records are kept for material poverty.
However, a more serious epidemic is sweeping the nation: inner poverty.
Inner poverty is a spiritual vacuum at the core of our being. Its symptoms are a sense of emptiness, sadness, meaninglessness and lack of direction. It’s like the soul has gone AWOL.
What do people want?
INDICATORS OF SPIRITUAL IMPOVERISHMENT
Love or sex addiction. We catch a glimpse of a beautiful creature in the distance and imagine a life of bliss together if only... We see a couple strolling hand-in-hand and feel envious..
Stinginess. Why are so many well-off people so stingy? They feel poor.
Schadenfreude. We derive some satisfaction or comfort from the misfortune of others.
We desperately seek recognition, acceptance and encouragement to feel good. This may take the form of sales, “likes,” followers,” “smiles,’ or hits. One young friend was despondent because he texted three girls about “hanging out” and none replied.
Money makes us euphoric or miserable. We measure our day in terms of how much we made or lost. Another friend was burned up because potential clients were waffling. He had done work on spec for a client who wasn’t even answering his emails.
We’ve been programmed to be beggars, feel-good junkies, addicted to the world to make us happy.
As a result, we feel like beggars. How can we stop?
HOW TO STOP FEELING LIKE A BEGGAR
Beggar behavior is habitual. These habits are ingrained, programmed by society, and very difficult to change.
The key to not feeling like a beggar is to stop acting like one.
Check your stocks just once a day instead of every five minutes.
If you can’t do this, sell them all. Thoreau said, “We are rich in the number of things we can let alone.”
Check your email or Face Book just 2-3 times a day.
Mortify yourself to the world.
You become indifferent to praise or blame except your own. It’s funny that we value other peoples’ opinion, but not our own. We make so much effort to gain respect from others, and so little effort earning our own. We need to learn to make ourselves feel good. Enjoy your Self. What an art that is!
We’ve been programmed to deny ourselves and conform to others. We have been programmed to disdain ourselves, to feel inadequate.
Whether by constant prayer, meditation or by repeating affirmations, we need to reprogram ourselves. The mind is like a steering wheel. If we don’t control it, someone else will.
We get a temporary thrill when the world puts a nickel in our cup, but the mind soon needs another “fix.”
We need to be Self-possessed. Self-controlled. Self-directed. Self-motivated. Self-sufficient. i.e. God-centered. By Self, I mean soul, not ego. Loving God is really loving your own essence.
People will treat you like you treat (“serve”) your Self, our true identity and path.
Beyond the necessities, we don’t need anything from the world. If we live within our means, we can turn our focus inward and experience our Divine inheritance.
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Note: Those interested in learning more about this approach can check out Eckhart Tolle’s YouTubes and books.
Related - Makow – How’s Your Inner Beggar?
This is the very reason I closed my Facebook account.
I was very reluctant but my mother badgered me into joining FB, so I did. And it didn’t take long for it to consume me.
I would rush home, log in, and read what people said about my latest post… or didn’t say.
If there were no comments or ‘likes’, I was crushed. My day was ruined.
One day I had an epiphany. I had become an attention-seeking whore, or a beggar as you put it. I realized that constant pursuit of everyone’s approval, rather than just living my life, was damaging to me.
Certainly, there are times when we need to be affirmed and advised by the people we respect but their opinions shouldn’t be the guiding force in our lives.
Source: https://henrymakow.com/2016/12/no-statistics-for-inner.html
