Ancient Jewish wisdom defines physical activities as those human activities that one does and can be understood by other animals. Spiritual activities, on the other hand, are those that can not be fathomed by other animals. Some activities like eating, sleeping, defecating, and sex are extremely crucial for life yet they remain physical because other animals do them. Human beings raise them to a spiritual level by adding ritual, privacy, and prayer to these activities.
Activities like reading, faith, trade, and financial planning, on the other hand, are purely human activities that can not be done or understood by other animals and this makes them spiritual.
Consumerism does not require any discipline to perform. It is driven by our base desires + emotions. Much like other animals, we long for instant gratification. It is true that we all need food, clothing and the feel-good factor that consumer products supply and there is nothing wrong with this. Yet understanding that we need this food, shelter clothes and dignity 20 or 30 years into the future is what distinguishes us from other animals. It takes discipline to plan, delay our gratification and invest today for our future needs. It is only human beings who can do and understand this and it is what makes financial planning a spiritual act.
Financial security is really not just about money or the things that money can buy. No! Financial security is about discipline, self-mastery, dignity, and peace of mind. When one is on the journey to financial independence their minds tend to focus on the things that matter most. Things like health, family, diet, exercise, learning, self-control and other activities that show hope for the future. People on the journey to financial independence tend to be more positive about the future and find that their deep fears tend to disappear.
Because of my passion for TSAVO and our mission to enable investors achieve financial independence, I have been accused severally of living as if money is the only thing that matters. Let me state it categorically that our accusers are short-sighted and have no idea what our mission is. To them, money equates to the habits of consumerism, to us, it is discipline, hope, and dignity. Those of you who know me well know that I live a life of optional poverty. My life is almost completely devoid of every hint of consumerism. It is simple and minimalist. Yet money is extremely important but only to the extent that it enables us to fulfill our mission. We use money to deliver our promise to investors. Money is a tool to ensure all our investors have a future of dignity and peace of mind brought by financial independence
We dedicate every working minute of our working lives to this mission because it is critical to the dignity and peace of mind of our investors. Financial independence is not a physical pursuit it is spiritual.
