Lack, or Abundance?

A friend of mine posted part of a poem this morning, and it really struck me.  So much so that I changed what I wanted to (and had already begun to) write about.

It’s a quote from Rupi Kaur  “…what terrifies me most is how we foam at the mouth with envy when others succeed, but sigh in relief when they are failing   our struggle to celebrate each other is what’s proven most difficult in being human…” [sic]

The minute I saw this, it spoke to me.  Interestingly, though, it reminded me of competition, which I my mind is pretty much the same thing.  That premise of needing to be “better” or “more” than everyone/someone else.

Do we emerge from the womb this way, seeking to best each other?  Selfishly seeking more for ourselves?  If you’ve ever had a newborn in the house, you might well say yes.  I do (three of them), and I say maybe.  Maybe.  Maybe we do.  Newborn babies don’t think about what someone else needs or who’s around them.  They simply place their demands and take what’s offered.  And yet - I’ve never had twins, but I’ve also never heard of one twin draining all a mother’s milk and leaving none for the other.  Moms of breast-fed twins, your weigh-in on this is welcome.

Now that the ‘born this way’ theory has left me confused, where does this come from?  Some people seem very competitive, excessively envious.  Some seem almost to want to push others down to fail so it doesn’t impede their own success.  (Note, I don’t hold the belief that competition must be negative, though it’s taken me some years to get past that one)  Others seem to quietly keep to themselves, do their own thing, and pay little to no regard to the behaviours of those around them.

Yet so few seem to lift each other up – particularly if they’re in a competitive place, whether it’s the same business, seeking a similar promotion or election, or simply looking to be the ‘preferred’ friend.  As a parent, I remember explaining to my children that I didn’t have a favourite, that love isn’t finite.  My love for one child didn’t decrease my love for another.  Love just grows.

Maybe that’s the key.  We allow fear to rule our lives.  Fear is also not limited, it just grows.  And yet, we allow it to convince us that the good things in our lives – abundance, success, joy, love, to name a few – must be finite, limited.  And yet, if fear is not limited, why must these good things be?  If I succeed, can you not also do so?  Perhaps in another moment rather than simultaneously, depending on the situation.  If your business is thriving, does this mean that mine fails?  Depending on the nature of the business, your success might be to my benefit in educating potential customers about the value of such an offering. 

We live in a world of abundance, and yet our faith in the lack rules us.Here’s the lesson for the day – don’t live in lack.  It’s your choice.  Live in limitlessness.  Limitlessness in your abundance.  Limitlessness in your success.  Limitlessness in your joy.  Instead, limit the fear.  Rejoice in the success of others.  Tell them so.  And ask yourself what you can learn from that – or better yet, ask them.  If they’re living in abundance, and in success, they’ll probably tell you.  To use the words of Rupi Kaur, “…Celebrate one another…”.