In Praise of Economy and Abundance

Abundance is among God’s attributes, and abundance is, in the end, what gave rise to economy.

If we begin with history, before human beings settled, the “economy of the jungle” prevailed: the stronger ate the weaker, until a balance was reached — what we might call the “jungle equilibrium.” Eat, before you are eaten!

With the development of agriculture, crops needed to be counted, and the principle of division of labor grew more serious. Mathematics was pressed into service for counting, storing, and distributing the harvest.

In today’s modern world, the instruments of economy have brought abundance into the lives of more human beings. Economy has allowed our species to cooperate with one another instead of devouring one another.

Pause for a moment! See how deep this cooperation runs — I can sit in complete comfort and write these words, and you can sit in relative comfort and read them.

The silicon in this screen was probably mined in one place; the copper wire that carries the internet was probably mined in another, on the other side of the planet. In the process, thousands — perhaps millions — of people have cooperated.

Divine abundance is now visible in every dimension of human life. Walk into any shop. Abundance of goods, abundance of thought, abundance of people!

To see abundance and to give thanks for it is the first step toward attracting more abundance.

May this abundance and this cooperation continue, and grow.

Amen.