Poverty has many shades of meaning. It could mean neediness, destitution, lack, want, deficiency, paucity and meagreness. This is as opposed to affluence, comfort, richness, abundance and sufficiency. When we talk about poverty of spirit, we are talking about small-mindedness, a judgmental, and self-righteous morality that makes you wear a hair shirt all the time in the belief that by so doing you have gained yourself a place in heaven....a lack of the ability to look at anything other than the worst side of whatever presents itself at the moment. There is a want of bigness of heart and soul, a deficiency of kindness and compassion. A meagreness of positive emotion that would see the brightness in the darkest gloom....To sum up, a total bankruptcy of all uplifting emotions. Poverty of spirit is not exclusive to those with less material wealth, the rich may be victims of this as well.
What brings on this poverty? Importantly, why would you allow anything to bring this poverty on yourself? Bright, happy people have often allowed circumstances to dictate how they are going to feel and behave. It’s not going to be good all the time. I found comfort and relief when I read in one of the newsletters that I subscribe to, that as the waves come on to the beach, and then go back, so also the good things and bad things that come into your life – the waves that come onto the beach signify the good things. Sometimes, they come far up, sometimes not, sometimes the waves hardly come onto the beach. Remember that each wave that comes onto the beach goes back. The reverse is also true – each wave that recedes, comes back.......Sometimes the waves recede far into the sea, sometimes they lap twice or thrice to get back to the sea. And sometimes, if you watch carefully, before a wave has receded fully, another wave comes on. So also the good and bad things that happen to you. You don’t need much to make you happy. If you look around, you will see that there are plenty of things that you can use to brighten your life. I read an account of a lady who travelled in a 60 sq.ft caravan linked to her car. She had made herself utterly comfortable in that tiny space with only the things that she needed and that mattered to her. If you take a real, hard look at your life, you will see that there is a lot that you really don’t need, and that you can do perfectly well without. If you can make your little space pretty with whatever is at hand, get a few things that would make life comfortable – a kettle, a coffee maker, and a toaster, or a small gas stove, have the things that keep you connected, like your laptop, which makes the whole world accessible, and helps to keep your mind stretched, a few good books to keep you grounded, and a source of music to life your soul, you will see that you lack for nothing.......we all collect a lot of clutter along the way - material as well as the intangible, which we would do well to get rid of – just to get to the core.....the basics as it were. A feeling of affluence creeps into the spirit which grows. Then we would never be away from ourselves, we would not need to be somebody else, we would not need someone’s approval for what we are, we can be ourselves –and be happy with who we are. We will automatically find ourselves turning to Nature, and allowing its abundance to come in into our hearts. We become aware of it, instead of taking it for granted like we so often do, and are the richer for having done so. We will rely on our inner resources more, and outer resources less...a feeling of sufficient unto the day.....And so you find that if your personal life is comfortably worn, the world looks good, and life seems more cope-able.