We live in a time of great progress; many of the so-called poor countries are lifting themselves out of poverty. This is happening in various parts of the world, India and Africa, to name a few. Such success has also prompted many people who have tasted success to think of what is it that is holding the rest of the population back ?
Today in the news, I read about an interesting remark by Paul Kagame, an African leader. He (jokingly) said that he he will round up pilgrims to a Virgin Mary’s apparation site and put them in prison. That he will only release them after the “poverty mentality has left them”. Paul Kagame was drawing a parallel between poverty and religious beliefs.
This article discusses that very point - the “poverty mentality”. How real is it ? Is it true that Christianity perpetuates such a mentality ? Is religion the ultimate stumbling block to development and progress ?
How poverty should be understood ?
Let us begin with understanding poverty. A poor person is one who does not have the means to a happy life. For example, consider a father who wants to send his children to college, but cannot afford it. He is unhappy and poor. Or a husband who don’t have the money to buy his wife a necklace. He is unhappy and poor. Or a daugther who can’t buy medicines for her elderly father because of lack of money. She is unhappy and poor.
In all the cases mentioned above, the person is searching for a solution to his/her problem. Often that solution is to have enough money to afford what they need. Now, it is the economy that decides the rules for making money. For example, rules like, if you work on a low skilled job, you make less money. Or, if you are entrepreneur and your business fails, no one compensates you. So, the task before the person is to make the money they need by following the rules of the economy.
So far, we have looked at the essential description of what it means to be poor, and what it means to come out of poverty. So, where does faith and religion come in ? Does it, like some suggest, prevents people from becoming successful ?
Why is religion mis-understood ?
Let us think what prompts some people to think of faith and religion as being opposing success.
I think the main reason for this allegation is the fact that faith puts certain conditions on a person trying to make money or create wealth.
So, when you are bound by certain conditions, while your peer is not, it is possible that your peer may get ahead in the race. This can prompt people to conclude that faith and religion are restrictive and backward.
What exactly are these conditions which religion place on a person trying to make money ? Are these conditions regressive or progressive ?
1. You cannot love money
To be successful in business, it is understood that you have to be motivated to make money. In other words, any business for which making money is secondary is bound to fail. So, all businessmen irrespective of their faith or religion have to put their focus on making money. Religion is not against this. But religion wants you to do it without loving money. That is, you should make money without falling in love with it.
2. Always think of what God wants to give you
How far is a person willing to go in pursuit of his goals ? This is a question that needs to be answered all the time. Are all goals worth pursuing relentlessly or is it better to change course ? How does one decide ?
This second condition instructs a person trying to make money to prioritise what God wants to give him over what he thinks he wants to achieve. Such an order of priorities will allow the person to know what to push for and what not to push for.
Such an attitude however requires the virtues of humility, gratitude and generosity. To ultimately surrender ones plans to God’s. The genius of religion is in that, by fostering these virtues, the conditions above will guard the person from becoming radically self-sufficient and self-obsessed. Self-obsession, as any religious person knows is the prime cause of unhappiness (or in more classical terms, self-obsession, incurvatus in se, is the very characteristic of Satan)
In conclusion, faith and religion provide a person the right mental framework in which to approach wealth creation. A person who plays within that framework will surely achieve happiness in life while being a lively participant and a force for good in the economy. So, if that is what you want, be convinced that faith and religion are your best friends.