A Dizzying Sense of Freedom
On adopting an abundance mindset and adapting to this world of plenty that we find ourselves in.
Life has existed on Earth for 3.5 billion years and for an overwhelming majority of that time, we’ve lived in scarcity. It’s only in the last few decades that a significant portion of the human population has experienced material abundance. The ready and easy availability of our basic necessities — food, water, shelter— is an exception in the extreme and not the rule.
Beyond that, many of us live with even more abundance — we can purchase hundreds of thousands of products from across the world without getting off the couch and have them delivered to our doorstep.
Needless to say, our bodies and minds are not adapted to abundance. They are adapted to scarcity and struggle. So we need to introduce deliberate struggle in our lives. Lifting weights, running, fasting — these are some ways to do that. But I believe that it’s equally necessary for us to adopt an abundance mindset and adapt to this world of plenty that we find ourselves in.
“You are not a drop in the ocean; you are the entire ocean in a drop.” — Rumi
The scarcity mindset is tenacious. When the material world is not lacking — when food, water, shelter are no longer a problem — the feeling that something is lacking doesn’t go away. The ultimate manifestation of this feeling is that we ourselves are lacking. In the past, I have grappled with feelings of being inadequate — not enough. I have felt imperfect and incomplete.
But off late, I have been playing around with the idea of abundance and asking myself — what if I’m already whole, complete, and perfect? What if my life is filled with abundance and it’s up to me to recognize it?
Let me show you what I mean with some examples:
An abundance of time: I am never too late and never too early. Just like Gandalf, I have perfect timing. I am at the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing, at all times.
An abundance of health: I have the perfect health at all times. Any illness or discomfort that I experience in my body is exactly what I need to experience at that time. Expanding this beyond my body and into the world around me — there is never anything wrong with the world. Life is unfolding perfectly at all times.
An abundance of wealth: Everything I need comes to me and everything that comes to me is what I need. I have exactly the right amount of any resource that I need at any given time — nothing more, nothing less.
This mode of thinking can be expanded to encompass all aspects of life — career and success, emotions and internal state, social life and relationships, skills and abilities, respect from others, and much more!
To be clear — the abundance mindset is not about having more than you need. It’s about having exactly what you need and recognizing that it’s plenty! Abundance is present when what you want is perfectly aligned with what you have. All I’m saying is — it’s already aligned and you just have to learn to see that.
When you develop this line of thinking and way of seeing, you will be faced with a dizzying sense of freedom! The contrast between the previous world of scarcity and this new world of abundance is so stark that it boggles the mind! To put it simply — when the whole universe exists for you and you alone, it can be kinda overwhelming.
“Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right-doing, there is a field. I'll meet you there.” — Rumi
You must be wondering now — what about morality? What about right and wrong? What if I’m too late to help someone in need? What if someone harms me physically? What if I end up homeless and on the street? What about all the evil in the world that needs to be stopped?
The abundance mindset is beyond the ideas of right and wrong. Morality doesn’t come to play here. But in adopting the abundance mindset, you naturally align yourself with the highest good. That’s all there is to it. We are called to be the light of the world, not because the darkness is bad, but because that’s what we are called to do.
You must also be wondering — if everything is perfect, then why do anything at all? Why not just sit still and do nothing? My answer is — you can! Or at least, you can try. You can sit still and surrender. If that is your Dharma, you will experience permanent ego death and your physical body will be alive for as long as it needs to be, but you will no longer be there.
For most of us, that’s not our Dharma. We are called to take action in one way or the other. And so, abundance allows us to live with wu wei — effortless effort. Life unfolds seamlessly and everything is done.
The man in whom Tao acts without impediment...
Does not bother with his own interests;
And does not despise others who do.He does not struggle to make money;
And does not make a virtue of poverty.He goes his way without relying on others;
And does not pride himself on walking alone.While he does not follow the crowd;
He won't complain of those who do.Rank and reward make no appeal to him;
Disgrace and shame do not deter him.He is not always looking for right and wrong;
Always deciding "Yes" and "No."The ancients said, therefore:
"The man of Tao remains unknown.
Perfect virtue produces nothing;
'No-Self' Is 'true-Self';
And the greatest man is Nobody."— The Way of Chuang Tzu by Thomas Merton