Lynne Twist, author of The Soul of Money, writes about a woman named Gertrude who told her that “money is a lot like water.” We all need water. We all share the same water. But at times, some of us have a lot more if it stored up than others. When water sits in storage, it becomes stagnant. It loses its use, its place in the ecosystem, and its purity. Water needs to flow for all the Earth to be nourished and for each of us to have life. Likewise, when money is hoarded, Twist explains, the whole economic system is less healthy. Money needs to flow to be useful.
Twist urges us to find ways to channel our money into organizations that help implement our values. She suggests remembering that our money came from others. We have it for a little while before it flows to others again – sometimes to others who sell us things we need, sometimes to others who need things our money can buy. Even in a bank account, our money is quickly loaned out to others. Bankers know that hoarded money does not grow. Money only has value in its use.
This message is excerpted from “Just Love in turbulent times” by Jennifer Hockenbery in the November/December 2024 Gather magazine.
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