RE: The Strange Mysteries of "Conscious" Living: Enlightenment and Poverty
One of the commonly held beliefs that seems to run through the consciousness and New Age Communities is this notion that in order to become "evolved" and "enlightened" you must turn your back on all things material. In other words, self-imposed (or not) poverty is almost a condition of becoming an enlightened person. If you have money and are actually interested in making a decent living... then you can't possibly be "conscious."
That is utter bullshit. One part of it that has truth is that we need to let go of our attachment to having things, the attachment to desire for material things as a way to fulfill us, as a way to give or bring us meaning and value.
The love of money, the desire for money, as you say, is the problem, and that i s a problem in consciousness, not with money. The attachment to the desire for money. Rejecting money or wealth is not a requirement for evolving consciousness. Letting go of attachment is a healthy way to progress and simply life to forcus on what matters more ;)
I'm pretty "minimalistic" I guess, but not hard core into it. I have things, I just don't have lots of things. I have things that are useful. Computer, desk, clothes, etc. A car is a burden in the city where you have to pay for it, pay for parking, pay for insurance... Living in the country it's more practical to have.
Agreed, it's utter bullshit. Lot of high and mighty "evolved" people hate to be called on that, though. It's a bit like the old *"you have no ego-attachment except your ego-attachment to not having an ego-attachment" dilemma I am wont to point people at when they start droning on in certain ways.
I like money because I like electricity and indoor plumbing, and I don't like mooching and couch surfing in the mistaken guise that I am practicing some form of latter day Transhumanism. I like having a car because I live in a semi-rural area and am two miles from the nearest bus stop and the weather here is too dodgy to ride a bike everywhere, all the time. I don't own-- and never have owned -- $150 trainers because some sports star put their name on them and somehow that makes me "cool, by association." My last four pair of shoes came from a thrift shop.