Mysticism, Spirituality and Economics

I have been called the mystic economist because of the deep influence of mysticism in my life, stemming from the religious Writings, Baha’i writings and those of Rumi and other mystics.
There is a general view that we are human beings, and we sometimes experience a spiritual life. But another spiritual school of thought holds that we are spiritual beings with human experiences. To me, this is the foundation for a human being: to realize that by spirit, we are from God and from the main source.

And we have been given the potential to go as high as we can spiritually. We have been given the writings, we have the capacity, and the soul has the ability to connect to the main source. So, it is fundamental to me that there be no duality.

And if we all concentrate on that and become more spiritual, then the economic problem will take care of itself, because the problem we have in the world is mainly a lack of empathy, a lack of caring, a lack of love. And so, through mysticism and the work of other great poets and writers, such as Shakespeare, who in some of his writings exposes human psychology, we can understand ourselves as human beings. And those things help us become better human beings and take steps towards spirituality and the fulfillment of our spiritual capacity. We have been told that we are from the Holy Spirit.

So, as you can see, mysticism is the foundation. We can think of a building, and the foundation is mysticism, and the economic theories are like the furnishings inside the building. So, you can have exquisite furniture and all the kitchen utensils and equipment, but your building is on shaky ground. And whatever you do is not complete.

Mysticism, in all its forms, influences our actions, enriches our souls, and shapes all our decisions. When we leave behind our selfish way of thinking and make the welfare of others, society, and communities the goal, we indirectly increase our own welfare and well-being. As they say, your welfare depends on the welfare of others. So, if we recognize it, it becomes a goal, and many of those with money realize that the only way they can be satisfied is to spend it on good causes. Those are the people who have been awakened to their humanity and spirituality, realizing that they have a higher purpose in life: service. So, in my opinion, the more we study mysticism or spirituality, the more our economic decisions improve. Our social interactions will be enriched. We will pay more attention to how we are affecting our environment. Our political system will improve because, within the current economic system, politicians and policymakers lack a vision and don’t see things from a spiritual perspective.

It’s just that we haven’t realized that we are one family. It is not a slogan. We are in it together, the highest station that humanity can reach. I think the pandemic taught us that.

If it weren’t for all these countries coming together, it normally takes about 5 or 6 years to develop a vaccine. In less than a year, the vaccine was developed. It is an amazing feat to achieve. And that’s all because they understood that we were in it together. They never admitted that we are family. But they understood that the whole family of man was in it together.

We need meditation and prayer, but work done in the spirit of service is worship. Service draws us closer to ourselves as spiritual beings. All our little actions to help others, and the knowledge that we are in it together – neighbours helping neighbours, someone giving money to help someone in need – when we all band together and are inspired and enlightened as a society, we can imagine what kind of economic system we are going to create.

We’ll find ways to fight global warming and do everything in our power to help the environment, getting closer to making this earth as beautiful as heaven. This is how mysticism and spirituality widen our horizon, our spiritual horizon. And they bring spiritual happiness to combat the depression and negativity in our society. Zoroaster, one of the great spiritual teachers, said:

“Doing good to others is not a duty. It is a joy, for it increases your own health and happiness.” ~Zoroaster

So that’s another benefit: by thinking spiritually, we have better peace of mind and a better quality of life, and we don’t let materialism and the small things of life ruin us. If we have a foundation rooted in religion or mystic ideas that reminds and nourishes our souls, our decisions in life will be clearer, and we will experience prosperity both materially and spiritually.