Nine Insights For a Successful and Happy Life. Mitchell LPN Gibson

wars are partially or entirely based on economic reasons, such as the American Civil War. In some cases, war has stimulated a country's economy (World War II is often credited with bringing America out of the Great Depression), but in many cases, such as the wars of Louis XIV, the Franco-Prussian War, and World War I, warfare serves only to damage the economy of the countries involved. For example, Russia's involvement in World War I took such a toll on the Russian economy that it almost collapsed, and this greatly contributed to the start of the Russian Revolution of 1917.

      One of the starkest illustrations of the effect of war upon economies is the Second World War. The Great Depression of the 1930s ended as nations increased their production of war materials to serve the war effort. The financial cost of World War II is estimated at about U.S.1,944 billion dollars worldwide, making it the most costly war in capital as well as lives.

      In the Soviet Union, property damage inflicted by the Axis invasion was estimated at a value of 679 billion rubles. The combined damage consisted of complete or partial destruction of 1,710 cities and towns, 70,000 villages/hamlets, 2,508 church buildings, 31,850 industrial establishments, 40,000 miles of railroad, 4,100 railroad stations, 40,000 hospitals, 84,000 schools, and 43,000 public libraries.

      When one examines the economic cost of war, the physical cost must also be examined. War spreads disease and suffering on an untold scale. Every dollar that is spent on war extracts an enormous amount of chaotic energy that affects the wealth of the world.

      War, gambling, sex, slavery, and the drug trade dwarf all other wealth-making enterprises on this planet. Unfortunately, each of these endeavors creates a tremendous amount of suffering, pain, and chaos in its wake. This energy then becomes part of every dollar that is created.

      Now, let us examine the effect that this energy might have on each of us on a personal level. If you place a bowl of fruit on the counter, the fruit will sit undisturbed for some time. The fruit will last longer, however, if there are no rotten or diseased pieces in the bowl. If you deliberately introduce a rotten piece into the bowl, the rot will spread throughout the bowl and cause the other pieces to spoil more quickly.

      This same principle applies to every dollar that you earn. Examine the list of wealth-making enterprises that we outlined earlier. All of these enterprises have tainted the energy of the wealth of this world in a negative way.

      In other words, the energy of every dollar that you receive has the stain of drugs, slavery, sex, gambling, and war.

      Each and every time we receive money in this world, we also accept a small part of this energy stain into our lives. The energy of chaos, disease, suffering, and pain that is part of the wealth of this world is spread through our contact with wealth. To be sure, one needs money and wealth in order to live and conduct many affairs in our world. This brings us to the first insight:

      Regularly giving away a small portion of your wealth helps to prevent the energy of chaos from building up in your life.

      One theory regarding the origin of suffering, chaos, and pain in this world is that it enters into our lives through our decisions and actions. The theory simply states that good and constructive actions and decisions bring beneficial results into your life. Destructive acts and decisions theoretically bring destructive energy into your life. Some people call this karma. In this sense, money becomes one of the mediums through which the energy of karma is spread from one person to another.

      By holding on to all of the energy that money brings into our lives, we may inadvertently be holding on to the negative karmic energy that comes with it. Mind you, only a small amount of this energy is necessary in order for it to affect your life. Chaotic karmic energy has power. Remember the bowl of fruit. Imagine that your life is the bowl. Now, add a bit of the chaotic force from wealth into that bowl.

      Think about it for a moment; what would the energy of war, drugs, or gambling look like if it manifested in your life? Would it become an illness? A car accident? Loss of a job? Family tensions? Chaos in a relationship? Bankruptcy?

      Many religions teach that giving away a small portion of your wealth through a process known as tithing is important for spiritual and emotional reasons. However, most religions never fully explain why we should follow this rule. Perhaps one reason that we should consider this principle relates to the first insight. Regularly giving away a small portion of your wealth can help to prevent the buildup of negative chaotic energy in your life.

      Remember the bowl of fruit. If you notice a rotting piece of fruit in the bowl and remove it from the others, the rest last longer. The same may be said to be true of our lives. If we regularly give away the energy of chaos, that has the potential to spoil our lives, we can then prevent the good energy in life from being affected by the bad energy.

      Some spiritual teachers maintain that by donating 10-15% of your wealth to others, you will clear the energy of your life from the influence of negative forces. They caution that holding on to wealth too tightly causes these forces to build and make us sick. To be fair, there are many people who cannot afford to give that much to others. There are many people who live from one paycheck to the next. What can they do to avoid this energy?

      Money is not the only commodity of value that we own. Each of us in our own way possesses something of value that we can share and give to others. For some of us, that might be time. Donating a portion of our time on a regular basis for the benefit of others is one way of giving of your wealth. Working at a shelter, visiting the sick and shut in, or volunteering at a daycare center are all ways that one may share one's wealth without spending money. Donating a possession or a service is another way of sharing your wealth.

      Allowing the negative chaotic energy to be removed from your life also has another unexpected benefit. Nature abhors a vacuum. If one removes negative energy from a system, this leaves room for positive energy to reenter the system. Instead of fighting off disease, chaos, and suffering related to negative energy, the system would then have more time and energy to process the power of blessings. In this way, giving to others is a powerful method of creating blessings in your own life.