Spiritual and Material Prosperity: Can They Co-exist?

By John C. Kimbrough

The modern world is one in which there seems to be an ongoing conflict between the desire for material prosperity and personal salvation, sometimes thought of as being spiritual prosperity.

Interestingly for many, personal salvation seems to mean more that they get what they desire or are allowed to get away from those things that cause them suffering, then making any great personal sacrifices or changes in their lives that may alleviate the conditions that are creating suffering.

The cultivation of spiritual prosperity requires the same things as the cultivation of material prosperity, these being attitudes and actions such as opportunity, education, effort, discipline and commitment.

Unfortunately, too many times material prosperity gets tied up with the sensual aspects of our being and in telling us that what we have been eating, wearing and living in is not modern, fashionable or most comfortable and convenient.

Material aspects of our life are also something that we are exposed to each day, usually from the moment we wake up and open the newspaper or turn on the radio or television.

Then we are hit with the bad news of people who allowed their pre-occupation with the material world to overwhelm them to the point that they committed some act of deceit, fraud, robbery or violence or told that we will be happier or hipper if we buy or have such and such or spend our vacation here or there.

We are seldom, if ever, through any of the media that we are exposed to each day reminded of anything that assists us in cultivating spiritual prosperity.

We have to search it out on our own and that can be quite hard to do.

Sometimes even those things that have a spiritual air to them can deceive us in some manner.

We may sit in front of a statue and worship it for hours, but not know or understand why we do such a thing or the significance of what this person discovered or shared with us.

We may get caught up in the comradeship of meeting other people who seemingly sincerely want to cultivate something spiritual into their lives and not see that the whole of them and our self included are being manipulated by one person for a purpose or reason that is not spiritual at all.

We may be in a place with a large amount of buildings that represent a spiritual or religious path or practice, be they a temple, church or mosque, and think that this really has an influence on people and how they are thinking, feeling, speaking and acting each day, when in reality they are more conditioned by the material aspects of their environment and what they are exposed to, and the power of their feelings.

It does seem to many, as materialism becomes more and more powerful in the world each day and year, that religion and spiritual practices are not cool, fashionable, or practical, or even something to be ridiculed or made fun of in some manner.

The fact is that both spiritual and material prosperity can co  exist though we have to make an effort to understand the spiritual and cultivate it into our lives, and learn to make some sacrifices as far as our desires in the material world are.

With the onslaught of technological gadgets and gizmos that bring us sensual pleasure or excitement, the forces of materialism can easily take us away from the peace and joy of spirituality.

Whether they can co  exist in the world together is not known.

But they can co - exist in our lives if we make the effort to do so.

)2005 John C. Kimbrough (March 24th, 2005)