We Americans may indeed be “rich” in material terms, but we suffer from what Mother Teresa calls a poverty of spirit. As we chased economic growth we closed ourselves off. We abandoned interconnectedness with other people, beings, and things. We also abandoned ourselves.
Many of the problems in our world today are visual manifestations of such abandonment. If the world isn’t looking the way you want it to look right now, author Jeff Golden argues that solving our (numerous) issues starts by healing our culture-wide poverty of spirit.
Here’s a preview:
[4:00] Money doesn’t make us happy, and the extent to which we strive for stuff is a manifestation of how unhappy we actually are inside
[8:00] How we feel about ourselves impacts how we show up in the world. How we treat others! Whether we regard other beings with love and respect!
[16:00] Exactly why healing our world (and ourselves) may indeed start by getting out of our heads
[32:00] Debunking heady intellectual conversations about the importance of the economy, plus: a laundry list of the ways we use stuff as stand-ins for well-being
[38:00] Tangible ways to “drop into yourself” (because you and others deserve it!)
When we let go of what doesn't serve us, we remove weight that holds us down. On today's show we turn to Zen Buddhism for wisdom on letting go of anxiety about the future, grudges, stuff, dead relationships, and more.
Here's a preview:
[4:00] Insanely anxious about the future? (Me too!) Don't spend your energy worrying; do this instead
[12:00] Think of decluttering not as throwing stuff away; think of it instead as setting your stuff (and yourself!) free
[19:00] How to let go of lost friendships and relationships, straight from the mouths of Buddhist monks
[26:00] Holding a grudge requires vast amounts of energy so become skilled at forgetting
[34:00] You're going to get to where you're meant to go, so there's no need to second-guess your choices
Hello there, I’m Stephanie. I live a crazy, beautiful life as a full-time wife, blogger + mother to two spirited daughters. I’m on a mission to simplify eco-friendly living so as to greater enjoy life’s sweeter moments.
Thank you for sharing, pinning + re-posting! Please remember that all images + text on this site are property of Mama Minimalist. If using a photo, please link back to my original post. All free printables are for personal use only.
Sustainable minimalism for home, head + heart.
Join our community of eco-conscious women on a collective journey towards sustainable simplicity.