copyright 1997, Rex Ballard

For so many of use, when we think of Abundance, we think in terms of ourselves, how much we've acquired, how many things we have, how expensive they are, and how this compares to the aquisitions of others.

Abundance is not Status

This is why so few people consider themselves living a life of abundance. If you think about it, what such thinking boils down to is "how can I get as much as possible from you, while giving as little as possible in return. This thinking naturally leads to scarcity, because once other people see that this is the game we are playing, they won't want to be the ones who are taken from.

Abundance as Flow

The true secret of abundance, is that abundance is the FLOW of resources. If you think about it, a large amount in a banking account is actually quite meaningless. Even here, the bank is likely to make loans, using the money on deposit to help them make loans they can sell. So even when we hoard money in the bank, it's actually providing a form of economic "lubrication".

Hoarding is Poverty - and Destructive

More tragic is the person who hordes the money as cash under the mattress, or as gold in a safe. Such a person provides no value to others, and provides no value to himself. He isn't enhancing the lives of others, he isn't creating opportunity. Worse, he's taking money OUT of the economy, effectively letting it rot. Even more sad, the best way for his gold to gain value is economic instability, such as a combination of recession and inflation.

True Wealth is Contributing to the Flow

But those who understand true wealth, understand that true abundance comes when you are committed to contributing to others, to encouraging the flow of resources, to building a rich flow of goods from person to person, business to business, and eventually, country to country.

The Paradox of Power

People who understand this secret know that when they focus on how they can be of maximum service to others, providing meaningful support and value, economically, emotionally, and socially, others will actually WANT some of what he's giving away. They know that they will need to eventually offer a return of their own, but even then, it's a reasonable portion, something they don't mind paying, for services that continue to improve their own situation.

Examples - the Southwest

Think of the people in the South West. Rivers flowed through the land, and there was plenty of water for everybody. But when ranchers tried to dam up the river, to deprive the farmers of water, the result was often unpleasant reactions, often violent. In some cases range wars erupted, complete with guns, explosives, and people being killed in the middle of the night - on both sides.

The irony is that even when you dam up the river, you can't stop the flow forever, so even then, the water must eventually begin flowing through the rivers again. Eventually, these dams and reservours overflow into the spillway, or the dam ruptures and burst, causing havoc everywhere. The natural order of water is to flow.

On the other hand, reservoirs can also provide a useful function as well, for example, many parts of the southwest depend on a complex network of reservours and dams to supply a reliable flow of water to major cities year round. The dams also provide electrical power to many of those cities, with minimal environmental impact - even a positive impact