In February, on the brink of losing my job due to budget cuts, I decided to focus on finances to ensure I could survive without work.
I went on a no-spend journey and read all the books I could find on personal finances. Or so I thought.
I picked up a book on Ali Abdaal’s recommendation; Beyond Wealth: The Road Map to a Rich Life by Alexander Green. The title seemed promising, but I got much, much more from reading it than finance advice. A whole philosophy.
The meaning of spiritual wealth
The book started as a column in The Oxford Communiqué, a risqué exploration of finances through the spiritual lens.
The editors were not convinced that this approach would strike a chord, but through the success of his column, Green found a niche and eventually packaged his essays into a collection of 65 reflections on the subject of wealth; a guide to the good life.
Once you go beyond asset allocation and balance sheets, wealth and prosperity constitute more than just dollar amounts in your bank account. Wealth is freedom, security, and peace of mind. Wealth can become spiritual.
Wide-ranging explorations
Beyond Wealth will not teach you how to budget or allocate your assets. It is, in short, a book of contemplations.
Each essay covers a topic, ranging from music, fine foods, fly fishing, tasty wine, science and the origins of our planet, and explores various philosophies and world history.
Living the Good Life
Every day during the month, I would sit down after work with a nice beverage, and delve into the wisdom laid down on these pages. I would read one essay, savor it and ponder.
I came to reflect on what constitutes the Good Life for me. This quote made me realize that I already possess everything I need to be fulfilled and content in this moment:
No one can be happy for long in poverty, but it takes more than money to create a rich life. As I mentioned earlier, decent health, a few close friends, and someone to love—at a bare minimum—are necessary to make most of us feel as though we are living the good life.
Sometimes we fall prey to the rat race of wanting. Buying that new trinket on Amazon, wishing we could earn more, spend more, buy more, own more. But where does this race lead? To more dissatisfaction, to more feelings of lack.
It is when we stop to fully appreciate what we have, our blooming relationships, our security, and our freedom, that we can attain ever-elusive happiness.
We all want to be happy. But life is also about education, work, courage, honor, empathy, and resilience in the face of hardship. Real contentment comes from a feeling that your life is worthwhile, that it is dissolved into something meaningful and great. That leads to gratitude. And gratitude, it turns out, is an indispensable part of happiness.
The centrifugal nature of Beyond Wealth
According to
, a centrifugal book spins you out to other books. Beyond Wealth does just that.From Quaker Wisdom to Feynman and science, from Emerson to The Big History of Our World, Alexander Green directs us to continue our explorations through various major written works, but also to obscure ones.
I love a book that opens up to explore new horizons, and there’s nothing I like more than adding to my toppling TBR.
If you would like to explore the meaning of wealth and prosperity beyond chequebooks and spreadsheets, explore different philosophies and edge closer to the Good Life, pick up a copy of Beyond Wealth today. And please let me know what you’ve taken from it. I would be so curious.
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