Economics and Spirituality from a Baha’i perspective (Conclusion)

Solutions

What we need is Humanomics. We need a system with humanity and virtues that are respected by all religions. They are universal and apply to everyone. Virtues such as:

Assertiveness, Caring, Cleanliness, Compassion, Confidence, Consideration, Courage, Courtesy Creativity, Detachment, Determination, Enthusiasm, Excellence, Faithfulness, Flexibility, Forgiveness, Friendliness,  Generosity, Gentleness, Helpfulness, Honesty, Honor, Humility, Idealism, Joyfulness, Justice, Kindness,  Love, Loyalty,  Mercy, Moderation, Modesty,  Obedience, Orderliness,  Patience, Peacefulness, Prayerfulness, Purposefulness, Reliability, Respect, Responsibility, Reverence, Self-discipline, Service, Steadfastness, Tact, Thankfulness, Tolerance, Trust, Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Unity

Some people may feel powerless to make any change in the system. They express the feeling of hopelessness and say, “We do not have the power to make any change.” I am afraid I have to disagree with that sentiment. I really am so hopeful about the future. I think we have a big role to play, especially those who believe in those virtues already mentioned.

Whether you are part of organized religion or believe in humanity or morality, these values are familiar to anyone.

For us as Baha’is, our duty and course of action have been pointed out:

“Every choice a Baha’i makes—as employee or employer, producer or consumer, borrower or lender, benefactor or beneficiary—leaves a trace, and the moral duty to lead a coherent life demands that one’s economic decisions be in accordance with lofty ideals, that the purity of one’s aims be matched by the purity of one’s actions to fulfil those aims.” – The Universal House of Justice, 1 March 2017

My suggestion is to find a way to introduce these values to our economic activities. We have to inject these virtues into our economic system to reawaken its humanity and revive it from its deathbed. I am not saying that this applies only to economics; I am also saying to do the same for educational and political systems.

Kindness, compassion, peace, all those values, once introduced individually and slowly through our actions injected into the system, will start a revolution and change the system entirely. I choose truthfulness as the foundation for the new system. If everybody tried to be truthful and tell the truth, we could overnight change everything.

If everyone told the truth, the systems would change, and life would be easier to live.

Some may need a few practical suggestions to get them started with this process. In my last book, “Economics of the Future Begins Today,” I devoted one chapter to this purpose and called it “Practical Economic Suggestion for Everyday Use.”

You can find all the suggestions with my explanations as blogs here on my website, but here is the list of them:

 Focus on the important questions of life such as “who am I,” “what is the purpose of my life,” and “how much is enough”

 Live a simple life

 Do not lie about a product

 Pay a fair price, even if it’s more than the market price

 Share profits with employees, provide medical coverage and pay fair wages

 Be honest in your dealings

 Provide the best quality of service

 Make customer satisfaction a goal

 Look for opportunities to extend help to co-workers and competitors

 Be content with a reasonable margin of profit

 Update yourself with the latest information in your field

 Be punctual in business and other meetings

 When lending money, ask for a reasonable interest rate

 Resist the consumer mentality

 Be knowledgeable about the advertising and read between the lines

 Spiritually justify every expenditure

 Avoid wastage in the workplace

 Protect the environment

 Increase your economic and business knowledge

 Volunteer whenever possible in the spirit of service

 Adopt a financial goal in life

 Avoid debt

 Create a habit of saving

 Spread the word about honest and fair businesses and professionals

 Don’t buy the latest models if the old ones are in working condition

 Avoid “keeping up with the Jones” or accumulating material goods for the sake of appearances

 Support the concept of one world currency

 Don’t follow society’s shortcuts with regard to taxation

 Make honest insurance claims

 Make fair expense claims at work

 Do not abuse sick leave

 Report when you have been undercharged or paid too much

 Resist society’s corrupt practices such as bribery

 Regard service first and profit second

 Participate in social and economic projects

 Do not support the idea of the end justifying the means

 Be honest in a job interview

 Be truthful in filling out forms or tenders

 Do not sacrifice your values to get a promotion or contract

 Use good quality material in production and no harmful ingredients

 Protect the poor and underprivileged

 Give with a sense of sharing rather than a sense of loss

 Create a consciousness that your welfare, well-being and happiness depend on the welfare, well-being and happiness of every poor, needy and underprivileged person in the world

 Spend as much energy on becoming detached from material possessions as you spend getting them

 Remind yourself of your spiritual destination while pursuing financial goals

 Be considerate of the needs of those who rent from you

 Practice the virtues

 Manage your insistent self or ego

 Be more vocal in a loving way about social issues