Capitalism By Ross Bishop

We live in a society where the most respected people gain recognition by reaching the top of the metaphysical mountain. Our highest honors go to those individuals who “succeed” by overcoming obstacles that have defeated lesser men. This is true in business, sports, politics, medicine and everything in between. Wealth and power are awarded to winners. Everything in Western society centers around that concept.

In medieval times, kings and barons brought an end to the age of barbarism and all wealth and glory belonged to them. The serfs owed them complete loyalty. They had no voice in the affairs that affected their lives. Eventually, social evolution demanded a power shift, as evidenced by the Magna Carta of 1066, which recognized the transfer of power in society, effectively ending the age of kings.

Social evolution progressed with the rise of industrialism, creating another major shift in society’s power structure. This was the era of industry and entrepreneurs, where the egalitarian ideas of thinkers like Jeremy Bentham and Adam Smith replaced the Divine Right of kings. These ideas also led to the separation of church and state to reduce church abuses and prevent religious doctrine from interfering with the emerging capitalist system. The message to the poor and infirm has always been, “If you need money, get a job!”

And the industrial period has been marked by incredible achievements. The new factories produced goods for the people. It led the West out of feudalism into an era in which democracy prospered, children received education and ordinary people gained significantly more control over their lives. It moved people out of their cottages but gave them jobs in the factories, something some have categorized as voluntary slavery.

The era of capitalism was marked by an ongoing struggle between the oligarchs and their workers over higher wages and better working conditions. This conflict lasted well into the 20th century. Although workers gained significant rights and freedoms, they remained at the mercy of the oligarchs, who had become a new class of lords and continue to exert dominant influence over society to this day. With the advent of unregulated AI in the hands of a relatively few oligarchs, there is great concern over its future impacts on society.

Although the promise of genuine democracy is showcased to us, and conditions are definitely better than in the past, the Walter Mitty dream of every man’s success remains an illusion. While we recognize capitalism’s remarkable achievements, they also come with a cost that capitalists and their bought-and-paid-for politicians will not admit.

There is still a huge gap in society between the oligarchs and the have-nots. Internationally, some nations remain in a state of conflict with their neighbors, but the prospect of global war, slaughtering millions of people, seems to be no longer on the horizon. However, Western society (especially the U.S.) spends a significant part of its wealth ($850 billion annually) on the military. Additionally, America is the world’s dominant arms manufacturer.

Spiritual teachers from various traditions have long emphasized certain universal truths with limited success, mainly because spiritual principles often conflict with societal power structures. Since the West is mostly made up of Christian nations, I’ll use Christian values to illustrate this point. However, in other parts of the world, we could easily refer to Hindu, Taoist, Jewish or Buddhist teachings. So, what did Christ ask of us?

Central to Jesus’ message is the command to love your neighbor as yourself. This idea appears in most religions and was present in Judaism before Jesus. The principle includes loving enemies, praying for those who persecute us, and showing kindness to everyone. Jesus urged us to avoid conflict. He also emphasized forgiveness, which leaders in corporate society and their politicians see as weakness.

Jesus exemplified humility and service, teaching that true greatness comes from serving others. This includes blessing the meek, showing mercy, and having a pure heart. He said, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” In other words, you must put others before yourself to be truly worthy.

He observed that the sun and rain fall equally on everyone, and that if God doesn’t discriminate, neither should we. The Golden Rule involves being humble and generous, not hoarding wealth or boasting. This was a revolutionary idea in the ancient world. In Greco-Roman philosophy, the ideal was personal happiness and well-being.

In humility, Jesus says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” This means respecting those who help resolve conflicts between others, but it also includes avoiding disputes in the first place. 

The poor have always been with us, and they are certainly better off than they were in the past. America has a tradition of sharing its wealth and medical knowledge with the less fortunate around the world, and although that has been temporarily stopped, it was a meaningful gesture.

Jesus took a strong stance against wealth, saying, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” He never taught that money was inherently evil, but He consistently warned about its power to deceive and distract us from our ultimate purpose. Jesus said to “Give to those who are in need. Give away your wealth, even if it requires a personal sacrifice.”

When a rich young ruler went away sad because Jesus told him to sell his possessions and give to the poor, Jesus remarked to His disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.” He taught that pursuing wealth can lead to a spiritually empty life. He said, “You cannot serve both God and money.”

From a broader perspective, capitalism is simply another phase in humanity’s journey from barbarism to enlightenment. This stage of human development will eventually fade from prominence, just as other phases have before, as society advances toward greater understanding of our purpose for being here. It would be wise not to see capitalism as a final destination. And although spiritual principles have largely been ignored during this period, they continue to percolate under the surface.

About Ross Bishop: I became a healer as an outgrowth of my own need for healing. My pain and dissatisfaction with my life brought me to leave the corporate world and begin a journey to find and root out the sources of the considerable pain I carried within myself. I found western psychology to be woefully inadequate to help me and so I set out to find more meaningful answers.  
 

My teachers all encouraged me after working on my own stuff to go outside myself and help others to heal, not as a humanitarian service but as a way to deepen my own healing process. I found that I had a gift for the work and that my teachers were absolutely right. Serving others is a remarkable learning process. My clients over the last 25 years have taken me to places I could not have gone on my own. I am deeply grateful for the gifts of personal growth that our work together has given me.  
 

In a former life, Ross was president of an advertising agency and a communications executive for the former Northern States Power Company (NSP) in Minneapolis. After leaving NSP, with a colleague he founded Creative Power Workshops and traveled the country teaching creative thinking to advertising writers and art directors. Seeing the limitations fear placed on people’s creative passion led Ross to undertake a spiritual journey in search of answers. That journey covered many miles and several years and brought him to many teachers. Finding some answers, Ross also found he possessed a natural gift for shamanic healing. He returned to this country and conducted vision quests for spiritual pilgrims throughout the Southwestern United States. Today he concentrates his energies on writing and on an active healing and counseling practice in Santa Fe.  
 

Ross Bishop’s website: https://www.rossbishop.com/