Prosperity Consciousness
Prosperity
Consciousness
Peninsula Woman
Jan – Feb 2003
Prosperities
can only be
enjoyed by them
who fear
not at all
to lose them.
— Jer. Taylor.
Everyone has his or her own idea about prosperity. The dictionary defines prosperity as: “ The condition of being prosperous.” And prosperous is defined as: “Having success; flourishing.” With the extreme fear and concern about the economy right now, I decided to focus this article on Prosperity Consciousness. Here is what my research found.
A FIFTH of the world’s population lives on a dollar a day. Over a third are illiterate, and over a hundred million have no access to basic health care, sanitation, or education. They comprise a worldwide underclass whose continued deprivation defies the global rush toward prosperity that has otherwise defined much of this century. Today in the West and in parts of Asia, living standards are at unprecedentedly high levels. Still, that prosperity remains elusive for 80 percent of the world’s people: they continue to earn less than 20 percent of the world’s income.
Perhaps hope is to be found in a small state, 24,000 square miles, on the southwest coast of India —one of the poorest countries in the world. That state, Kerala, is poor even by Indian standards. The gross domestic product per capita is just $1,000 a year — some $200 less than the Indian average and about one twenty-sixth (1/26th) of the American figure. Houses in Kerala are small; clothes are simple and unadorned; for most of Kerala’s 33 million citizens, life appears to be governed by the narrow circumscriptions of agriculture.
Yet consider the following:
1) Life expectancy in Kerala is seventy-two years, closer to the American average of seventy-six than the Indian average of sixty-one.
2) The infant-mortality rate in Kerala is among the lowest in the developing world — roughly half that in China and lower than that in far richer countries such as Argentina and Bahrain.
3) Population, too, is under control in Kerala. The fertility rate is just 1.7 births per woman — lower even than Sweden’s or America’s.
What is perhaps most impressive is that 90 percent of Keralites are literate — a figure that puts the state in a league with Singapore and Spain. Children in Kerala are likely to beg for pens, not money. Schools — their classrooms clean, well maintained, and filled with students in brightly colored uniforms — are found seemingly every few miles throughout the state.
Amartya Sen, a leading economist who has drawn attention to Kerala, has argued that the success and failure of development efforts cannot be judged merely in terms of income and output. “What ultimately matters,” he has written, “is the nature of the lives people can or cannot lead.”
Prosperity is a state of awareness of honoring what you have and finding value in the things in life that are the most important to you. In Kerala, they are family and education. For myself, I have always valued Consciousness. Being conscious has always maintained its value regardless of my material prosperity. It is truly something that I can own, and what I know can never be taken away from me. If you are truly concerned about your prosperity, find ways to broaden your understanding of your life and the world around you.
Take a class, read an inspiring book or magazine, etc. OR have your astrological chart done to understand how you are or are not connected to your own prosperity. Whatever you do, I hope that you have a fabulous New Year filled with Success and Prosperity.
In the past year, I have developed the ability to email charts to my clients. If you are reading this article, have email abilities, and would like a free sample of your chart, please email me at: amber@amberflynn.com. Reference the Peninsula Woman in your email, and I will send you your chart. FREE OF CHARGE.
