Practical Economic Suggestions for Everyday Use (Part Six)
Based on the Baha’i Writings, the suggestions below may hopefully help you to bring about this fundamental change in your character and your everyday economic actions. There are 53 suggestions but we discuss 9 on this blog.
This list of suggestions may seem overwhelming, and you may not be able to practice all those that apply to your situation. But you have to remember that it is not about the results; it is about sincere and wholehearted efforts. It is a pure intention that counts.
- Support the concept of one world currency. If we have fewer currencies to exchange, life becomes much easier, and this is a good step in the right direction towards world unity. And anything that can promote world unity is extremely important.
- Don’t follow society’s shortcuts with regards to taxation. There are claims made which can perhaps be legally justified but are morally wrong.
- Make honest insurance claims. False insurance claims have become like a source of income for some who claim damages to their bodies or their properties. This misuse hurts every honest person because the cost insurance will increase due to the increase in the dishonest claims. There are some incidences that though legally, one can make a claim, but morally it does not go with the spirit of honesty.
- Make fair expense claims at work. It has become a common practice to claim the maximum amount even if it is not used, but we have the duty, to be honest about them.
- Do not abuse sick leave. Some people use their sick leave even though they are not ill. They think that if they do not use it, they will lose it. But in reality, though sick leave is a right but has to be used in the right spirit, which when one is sick and should not be considered as a paid day off, even one is not sick.
- Return to the store when you realize you have been undercharged or receive too much change for your purchase. This is practicing the virtue of honesty. Watch the face of the cashier when you do this. He or she is probably wondering, “Who are these people?” The answer is that we are the people from the future, where honesty is the norm.
- Resist corrupt practices of bribery and cheating. In some places in the world, giving bribes is a way of life, and that is a test and an opportunity to fight this harmful practice. It is very hard in places like India and China where I have lived. Refusing to participate in these practices is very difficult.
- Regard service first and profit second. This seems idealistic in society, but for Bahá’is, it is considered a way of life. And in the long run, it is the best advertisement one can buy for free.
- Participate in social and economic projects. We can help to change the world for the better by getting involved in these projects. And they are a valuable way of learning and contributing. We need to gain experience in social activities so that we can contribute more in the future.