Quantum Holistic Wealth Creation Model Part II
Rajyeshwari Ghosh
Founder at Quantum Holistic | Quantum Paradigm Practitioner |Trusted Advisor |Ex Big Four & Wall Street Professional
In Quantum Holistic Wealth Creation Model Part I , I talked about the background that led me to research a new model, the state of the world we live in, and why it is an important decision to make a fundamental shift in how we think about wealth and money.
The proposed ‘Holistic Wealth Creation’ Model for Quantum Paradigm
Let me start this second part by exploring three fundamental questions.
1. What is the metaphysics of wealth?
?According to Vedic wisdom, the word, ‘Lakshya’ means ‘goal.’ The word is also understood as ‘to perceive, observe, know, understand.”
According to a talk given by Mr. U. Mahesh Prabhu, he said the word 'Artha' in Vedic Sanskrit implies meaning, goal, or a sense of purpose. Therefore, Artha can be better understood as that 'meaningful wealth' which is the harbinger of abundance leading to bliss. He also mentioned it is important to note that currency represents wealth, it is not wealth itself, as we will see in the latter part of this document. [13]
It is said Lakshmi is the Vedic art and science of achieving meaningful wealth. Artha is the meaningful wealth as per the Vedic system. Vyartha is wealth without meaning or higher purpose. Anartha is that wealth that is earned by causing destruction. So, we have to accept the truth that the current degenerative economic system is leading to Vyartha or Anartha.?Very few of us are creating meaningful wealth – Artha.
According to post-Vedic Hindu mythology, there are eight types of wealth. This is referred to as “Asta Lakshmi.” Ashata means eight and Lakshmi means the Goddess who represents the science and art of creating virtuous wealth. An individual, a family, a community, a nation may have one or all of these eight types of wealth. The eight Lakshmis are as follows:
1.?Adi Lakshmi – It is spiritual wealth or soul power. These are the guiding principles and the virtues that create the foundation of who we are and how we live our lives. 2. Dhana Lakshmi – It is material comfort as wealth. It is also the money that represents wealth. 3.?Vidya Lakshmi – It is the intellectual wealth – wisdom, insights, skills, and knowledge. It helps us to earn money. 4.?Dhaanya Lakshmi – It is the good harvest as wealth. It is the food we eat to have a healthy body and mind. 5. Veera Lakshmi – It is wealth as courage. With courage, everything is possible. 6.?Santana Lakshmi – It is wealth as progeny and our family. 7. Vijaya Lakshmi – It is wealth as success. 8. Bhagya Lakshmi – It is that wealth that comes as social capital such as goodwill, respect, and prestige.
According to Kautilya’s Arthasastra, six detrimental qualities lead to anartha. These are kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), matsarya (envy), and mada (ego). It is said the foundation of creating meaningful wealth or Lakshmi is Manas or the Mind. [14] Individually and collectively, we fail when these detrimental qualities are normalized.
Goddess Lakshmi symbolizes one who represents elevated (higher) Lakshan (traits) to achieve higher Lakshya (goals/purpose) in life.
She is the goddess of prosperity, wealth, purity, generosity, and embodiment of grace, beauty, and charm. She sits on Lotus which stands for purity, beauty, and fertility. The four hands represent the four aims of human life – 1) dharma or righteousness, 2) artha or meaningful wealth, 3) kama or worldly desires, 4) moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The owl is her vehicle. The owl symbolizes fearlessness and the ability to see in darkness. The underlying meaning of the mythology is focused efforts following righteous principles governed by wisdom and purity, which lead to both material and spiritual abundance.
2. Why do we need money in the economy?
James Robertson writes in his paper, The History of Money – From Its Origin to Our Time, “in his book, The Wealth of Nations, published in 1776, he notes that human nature has "a propensity to truck, barter, and exchange" which is "to be found in no other race of animals". The desire to exchange things is part of human nature. It goes with the "division of labor" as different people specialize in different skills and jobs and careers. According to this view, money came into existence to meet the need for a means of exchange more efficient than barter.” [15]
The direct exchange of goods and services is a barter system. A barter system is inefficient because it suffers from the double coincidence of wants. The mainstream economic definition of money was first proposed by William Stanley Jevons in 1875.
According to Jevons, money has three primary properties –
·????????store of value
·????????medium of exchange
·????????unit of account
Anything can represent money as long as there is a stable social conscious about its value.
As we can see, our current economic system has a very narrow definition of what we understand as wealth. From a psychological standpoint, while the functions of money in society are to store value, to use it as a medium of exchange, and to represent a unit of account, the social realities show that money has instead become a measure of a person's success and even worth in life. Hence, the current system has created so much anartha at various levels – spiritual, social, and emotional.
3. What creates economic wealth in a given context of time and space?
What creates economic wealth is not a big labor base or an abundance of raw materials (though these can help) but a population with a spirit of enterprise and a political system that allows that spirit to blossom. [16] Hence, the ecosystem and a trust-based culture are important to cultivate. In addition to that, I would say two other functions are important – one is population control and the second is skill-based education.
I have created the ‘Holistic Wealth Creation’ model based on “Astha Lakshmi.’ The reason is this model includes all three dimensions – the metaphysics of wealth creation, economic functions of material wealth, and the social-cultural benefits.?
Spiritual Wealth – Spiritual wealth is cultivated when we understand the purpose of life. The guiding principles, values combined with character traits (virtues) form our inner power. Over a period of time, this inner power becomes our spiritual wealth. Truth, honesty, trust, faith, goodness, fortitude, benevolence, authenticity, courage, forgiveness become one’s spiritual wealth.
Economic Wealth – Economic wealth is the material possessions such as a house, car, bank balance that give a materially comfortable life. Money represents one type of economic wealth.
Intellectual Wealth – Intellectual wealth is our wisdom, intellect, insights, skill-sets. Our academic degrees, work experience, continued education, and lifelong learning are examples of intellectual wealth.
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Health as Wealth – Proper food and nutrition for good health and well-being is wealth. In macro terms, a good harvest and green surroundings would be wealth for the nation. In today's context, it is the health of the planet - our ecology.
Courage as Wealth – It takes courage and faith over fear to take any initiative and to follow through till its completion.
Family as Wealth – Family strength and closeness bring emotional security, stability, and well-being. We know in our hearts that someone is there at home to care for us.
Success as Wealth – When we accomplish our goals, this builds our inner power and conviction. This in turn becomes an inner wealth.
Social equity as Wealth – Good work when done with the right intentions when it makes a difference in the lives of people brings goodwill, respect, and prestige to us. This social capital in turn becomes our intangible wealth. Our friends and well-wishers are also our wealth representing social capital.
As we see, the narrow definition of wealth only in terms of economic possession has created insurmountable miseries in our society and world at large. It has resulted in class discrimination, income inequality, homelessness, hunger, ruthless competition, and ecological disaster, emotional and mental trauma.
4. What are the benefits of holistic wealth creation model?
?As we see, my holistic wealth creation model has several benefits such as:
Most importantly, it will serve dual purposes of life - emancipation of the soul and welfare of the world [17]
To implement this model, a fundamental paradigm shift in the definition of the economic model is required universally at an individual and global level. While we measure the Gross Domestic Product, we would also need to start measuring the Gross Happiness Index. GDP would be the measure of the external economic prosperity and GHP would be the measure of internal emotional and spiritual well-being. Both are equally important. They are two sides of the same coin.?
Part III, IV would follow.
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I would love to know what you think about the current economic and financial system we have in place ? Do you believe we need a fundamental shift ? What are the socio-psychological dimensions around money you have experienced ?
Please Note: My work is research-based. This is my intellectual capital. If the reader intends to use any part of it, I would request to give the due credit. I would be eager to know also how it benefited the reader.
Rajyeshwari Ghosh is the Founder at Quantum Holistic Advisory Services. It is a Quantum paradigm-based multidisciplinary leadership and management consultancy practice. She is a Certified Blockchain Practitioner and a Member of Lorange Network. A former Wall Street and Big Four professional, she is a Trusted Advisor and a Management Consultant. She advocates holistic thinking, practices an interdisciplinary approach to organizational problem solving, and believes in the meaningful use of technology for good of humanity. She studied and worked in the U.S. and currently lives in Kolkata, India.
References:?
[13] U. Mahesh Prabhu https://www.indiamahesh.com/
[14] Kautilya’s Arthashastra by R. Shamasastry
[15] The History of Money – From Its Origin to Our Time https://jamesrobertson.com/book/historyofmoney.pdf
[16] A History of Wealth Creation https://spectator.org/48966_history-wealth-creation/
[17] Same as [1]
[18] A Brief History of Money https://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/innovation/a-brief-history-of-money
[19] Hindu Religion on Wealth, Wisdom, Abundance https://www.foodforthoughts.co.in/spiritual-significance-goddess-lakshmi/
[20] Lakshmi Goddess of Wealth and Beauty https://www.learnreligions.com/lakshmi-goddess-of-wealth-and-beauty-1770369
[21] A Brief History of Money https://nakamoto.com/a-brief-history-of-money/