WHY DO WE WORK?

Due to the COVID pandemic, many people have lost what used to be their sense of security which is their work or job. Many people are still trying to find their way in this new and unfamiliar environment of mass unemployment, not to mention the new ways of working. Hence, having money and the lack of it is the most constant thing in man's mind in the modern world. More so, because we live in a society where how much you make and have is highly valued. Sadhguru in one of his YouTube videos stated that "95 percent of human being's potential is currently being lost because of two things; namely money and sex." He also states that this is one of the reasons that 95% of the population is not living up to their abilities and talents.

FEAR OF POVERTY

According to Shakti Gawain, Fear of poverty is one emotion that drives people into working for money and end up not uniquely expressing themselves. The fear of not knowing what the future holds; what will we eat, wear, how will we provide for our loved ones, and so on. According to Napoleon Hill, "the fear of poverty is the most destructive of all fears". The uncertainty of what the future holds develops fear in our minds. The fear of poverty is the root cause of why people experience financial difficulties.

GREED

The fear of poverty pushes us to attain wealth and material possessions, and some do. However, we are still driven to work because of the fear of losing what we have already acquired. The fear of losing what we have and going back to that poverty state drives those who have acquired wealth to work much harder. Shakti Gawain states that this in turn transforms the emotion of fear into greed. Which is the longing for more and more money, material possessions, or social value such as power. Though we may have all the material possessions, we are still driven by greed rooted in fear to work harder. However, no matter how much material wealth we have, the desire for more does not end.

The fear of poverty is known as peniaphobia. According to Nina Hendy, a phobia generally arise from a combination of external events and internal predispositions. Many phobias are rooted in a specific triggering event, usually a traumatic experience at an early age. For example, noticing that our parents are poor in comparison to other kids' parents as a child. By focusing on our fear we attract what we don't want into our experience. Napoleon Hill states that "fear is a self-induced state of mind". Therefore, it can be changed through will and so do our experiences. By choosing not to place our focus on our fear of poverty, we can draw upon thoughts of wealth and change our experiences. Joseph Murphy says that if we don't place our attention on something, it automatically disappears from our experience.

INDECISION IS THE MOST COSTLY SYMPTOM OF FEAR

The three unholy enemies make people live a life of poverty and this is caused by fear of lack and limitation. According to Napoleon Hill indecision, doubt and fear are the three enemies which we have to conquer if we are to overcome poverty. He states that "indecision crystallizes into doubt, the two blend and become fear." A poor person fails to make decisions for himself and lets others do his thinking for him. In time, the person starts to doubt himself, gets confused, and lacks self-confidence. Thus, when indecision and doubt mix they transform to form fear of poverty.

Working is one action that comes naturally for a person in the material world. Deepak Chopra says when we are in service of others we receive money in return for our labor. According to Oxford language, work is an "activity involving any mental or physical effort done to achieve a purpose or result". For most people, the purpose or result for working is a wage or salary while for a few it's profits. Napoleon Hill state in his book Thinks and Grow Rich that "when money comes in quantities known as 'the big money it flows to the one who accumulates it, as easily as water flows downhill".

ENERGY:

According to Khan Academy, "energy is the measurement of the ability of something to do work. Energy is not a material substance and it can be stored and measured in any form". Energy is a concept that has different meanings for many people; no one definition is used. However, according to Energy Clime, "physics defines energy as the capacity of a body to do work while Biology defines energy as the ability to cause change". From these two definitions, one could deduct that energy is the capacity for a body or an object to perform work. Hence, without the input of energy, there can never be any work done.

Everything in the physical world needs energy for it to perform a certain task. A car needs fuel or oil to move from one point to the other. A stove needs electricity for it to generate the heat necessary for cooking. Human beings need food for them to have the energy to do work. Hence, through the use of our energy, we can acquire the money and wealth necessary for our survival.

MONEY AS ENERGY:

Money is the thing we get from using our energy to complete a particular task. According to Lisa Canning "money is a symbol of energy". This means that human beings strive to release their energy in the form of work and return get money which is a symbol of energy. Through the money we received, we are then enabled to buy goods we want; which someone also exerted energy into. Thus, the possession of wealth and the lack thereof is determined by our ability to use our energy for the benefit of mankind. Albert Einstein many years ago stated that "everything in life is vibration." Thus, due to your vibrational energy you either attract or repel money.

EXPRESSION

According to Oxford Languages, expression by definition is "the action of making known one's thoughts or feelings." This means that any method used by one to indicate his thoughts or feelings is a form of expression. There are multiple ways of expressing ourselves; through writing, singing, acting, poetry including any other form of creativity or work done. Take a look around and it is not difficult to see the different ways people express themselves creatively. Joseph Murphy says "The word son in the Bible means expression, and the word man means mind." Thus, it is not difficult to recognize God's different forms of expression within all of us; acting through the mind of man.

CREATIVE EXPRESSION:

According to THEINNER WORKK CENTER "as a species, we’re all naturally creative and crave personal expression.?Creative expression is the ability to use our mind's imaginations to create something that represents ourselves". We need to express ourselves the best we can without expecting a particular outcome. When we share our energy and talents with the world; we are then able to attract money easily by being ourselves. The significant aspect of it all; is discovering and understanding ourselves more deeply throughout the process.

OUTCOME EXPECTANCY:

Our energy does not flow properly when we are anticipating a particular outcome for our efforts; especially when it is money. However, there are many expectations we have such as; recognition, success, achievement, fame, applause, and so forth. Victor Vroom who founded the Expectancy Theory stated that "behavior is motivated by anticipated results or consequences." Meaning that we behave in a particular manner expecting a certain result or outcome in return. Elizabeth gilbert states that "Your fear will always be triggered by your creativity because creativity asks you to enter into realms of uncertain outcome, and fear hates uncertain outcome." Hence, to express ourselves fully we need to overcome the fear of poverty and by so doing we won't be attached to the outcome of our creativity. We will be free to express our creativity because the expectation of money inhibits us from fully expressing our creativity and talents. Joseph Murphy states that "Increase is what all men are seeking. It is the urge of God seeking expression through you, telling you to come on up and rise to a higher level."

TALENTS:

We all have talents and it is up to us to discover them and express them for the greater good of mankind. According to Buckingham and Coffman, "Talents are recurring patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior." This means that our talents come to us naturally and are part of us. They further state that "Whereas skills and knowledge quantify?past performance,?talents quantify?potential." Our true potential can only be realized by searching and finding our talents and expressing them creatively. This is one of the challenges that the universe puts in before everyone to overcome. Elizabeth Gilbert states that "The universe buries strange jewels deep within us all, and then stands back to see if we can find them." She further says that creative living, is the effort to go on the hunt to discover our talents and this brings light into our existence.

PLURALITY OF THE PHYSICAL WORLD:

It is clear to see and understand that everything in the physical world was created in pairs. The Quran says "And all things we made in pairs, do that you may give thought.?(51.49)" The is wrong and right, darkness and light, energy and matter, intangible and tangible, and so on. Therefore, if we become free from fear of poverty and greed which stems from fear, then we can replace this fear with its opposite emotion. Many may argue that courage is the antidote to fear, and I do agree with them. However, the fear of poverty cannot be overcome by enduring a life of lack and limitation, just because you want to face your fears. Yes, in life we all have to face our fears, but how?

CONFIDENCE IS FAITH:

Fear can be replaced by its opposite emotion which is faith. You can raise your faith by believing in yourself. You can't believe in yourself without trusting in God, and vice versa. Having confidence in one's talents and abilities enables one to live an expressive life. Napoleon Hill says that "Faith is the head chemist of the mind." Believing in your talents and abilities; makes the mind reveal different ways to express yourself. Hence, the creative expression is an outcome of an action without a doer; it just unfolds through the mind. Joseph Murphy says that "the more faith you have in yourself and God; the more your faith grows and the easier it becomes to express yourself creatively".

NATURE OF EXISTENCE:

The computer or phone that you are using and that I used to create this article was created by another person. The question is what are we doing to add value to their lives as they did to our lives. Thus, the nature of existence is that every one of us must strive to add value to other people's lives. We must all strive to use our talents and abilities to better the lives of our fellowmen without having a certain outcome in mind. Just go with the flow and as long as what you are doing is valuable; money will automatically flow towards you. Prabhupada states that "There is no question of stopping service, for we are meant for service. Is there anyone who does not serve?"

FINDING YOUR PURPOSE AND FULFILLING IT:

It is vital that each one of us finds his/her purpose in life and do whatever it takes to accomplish it. Once one knows his/her talents it is much easier to use them for the betterment of mankind. Deepak Chopra states "Expressing your talents to fulfill needs creates unlimited wealth and abundance." Thus, in this world, we work to give our energy to our fellow man as they have done for us in the past and present, so will it be in the future. Joseph Murphy states that "You were born to be rich. You grow rich by the use of your God-given faculties, by tuning in with the infinite, and as your mind becomes productive and full of good ideas, your labor will become more productive and will bring you all kinds of material riches". I will discuss the different levels of work in the next article called "Working at Different Levels".

REFERENCES:

Deepak Chopra; (1994). "The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success" A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams.

Elizabeth Gilbert; (2015). "Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear".

Joseph Murphy; (1966). "Your Infinite Power to be rich".

Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman; (1999). "First, Break All The Rules: What The Worlds Greatest Managers Do Differently".

Napoleon Hill; (1973). "Think and Grow Rich".

Shakti Gawain, (1986). "Living in the Light: A Guide to Personal and Planetary Transformation".

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad; (1973). "Raja Vidya: The King Of Knowledge"