Chapter 1 of "The Mindful Money Guide" begins by saying
a healthy relationship with money begins at home and
has little to do with investing.
Our culture has a very distorted view of money which
causes endless "wants" with little lasting satisfaction.
We should not blame advertising for our money problems
and excess consumption. These things are part of human
nature and built into our genes. All advertising does
is exploit a weakness.
Grumble, i think this is just a word game. Why not
blame an exploitation technique if it is making a problem
worse.
The book goes on saying we are led to believe money
equals success. It blames the media for this but ignores
all the other cultural pressures which give the same
message.
The recommendation is to first develop a healthy attitude
about money. The techniques suggested include: Voluntary
Simplicity, awareness of what is a "need" and what is a "want",
and use of visualization exercises to reprogram behavior.
I don't disagree with this but think the author missed two
important points:
1. Developing pleasures to replace the joy of consumption
is a positive way to proceed and easier than just
fighting consumptive behavior.
2. Personal change is easier if mixed with personal goals
and ethics giving one a sense of purpose. This is where
an ecopath begins to fit into the money picture.
(to be continued)
