Money: A god or a devil?

This is the second dialogue between Rudá Iandê and me in the “tribal dialogue series”. This is a series of conversations exploring some of the themes being shared on Ideapod. You can access the first dialogue on spirituality for rebels here.

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The topic explored below is money. We discuss whether money is a god or a devil. You can see the full summary below and skip through to whatever section is most interesting to you. Or watch the dialogue in its entirely.

00:00 Introduction

Why money is an important topic in the current times
The dialogue is based on exploring different ideas of money
Rudá and Justin will be looking into the functions of money and our relationship with it

01:32 Rudá’s reflections on money

What would life be like without money?
Exploring whether the barter and exchange system would work in today’s world
Virtual currency and confusion around what money actually is

“I see money as being this basic unit of measuring our energy, our work.” – Rudá Iandê

04:44 Money is a form of language

Money is a universal way to communicate
When money is manipulated and used as a tool of domination
The contradiction/paradox of money

“I see it as incredibly profound that I can work really hard, build up my energy, my focus, my expertise, and create something and get for it. Then I can actually take that money to a different country…. There’s a universal agreement that makes my previous work from years gone by worth something.’’ – Justin Brown

“When it comes to the manipulation of currencies around the world, money becomes a tool of domination where powerful people turn people into sheep.” – Justin Brown

“[Money] is such a paradox, it’s such a contradiction. It’s so liberating and yet it takes away our spirit.”

08:16 Has money decreased violence?

The transformation of physical violence to economical wars
Is the problem money or is it our human nature?
The fight for dominance

“Domination now is not so much territorial but the economic exploitation from one current country to another. Corporations also dominate playing this game.” – Rudá Iandê

“We come to a problem which is not exactly about money but it’s about human nature, and from the beginning, since the first tribe in the world, we have been fighting for power. For dominance over each other, trying to enslave one another, to take advantage of each other, and unfortunately, we can’t escape these aspects of our nature.” – Rudá Iandê

11:28 Building our relationship with money

Recognizing that money doesn’t corrupt us; our nature as humans does
Seeing money as a vehicle
Our addiction to money is what causes a toxic relationship with it

“I think it’s really important for us to see money for what it is so that we can have a better relationship with it.” – Justin Brown

“We end up losing focus in our lives. We start to desire to change the world, to do amazing things. You have a dream, and you think ‘oh, I need money for that’, and after time you get so addicted to pursuing money.” – Rudá Iandê

“When you’re just doing things because you want or need money, it’s miserable. And it’s terrible that there are so many people in the world who have more money than they actually need.” – Rudá Iandê

15:46 How building the relationship we have with ourselves affects how we view money

Our environment and the push of consumerism
How our happiness depends on our relationship with ourselves, our limitations and our possibilities
Justin’s experience with ‘Out of the Box’ and his relationship with money
Generating money to fulfill your purpose in life

“What you are going to do with your possibilities and limitations, your relationship with that is what will make a difference to your life.” – Rudá Iandê

“Money shouldn’t become an end in and of itself, but rather it’s a vehicle. It’s a vehicle for our purposes in life to play themselves out.” – Justin Brown

22:54 The drive for success

Capitalism and the desire to be successful
The theory of seeing money as a game – to be more in control of your control
The importance of bringing purpose to our lives
Redefining what success is
The fear of scarcity and important questions to reflect on

“There is a natural instinct which comes from the nature of the sperm which has created us. We want to be first, we want to be at the top of the chain, and then when we bring this instinct to our life in the capitalist system, it can lead us to a place that can become pretty unhealthy, and can bring a lot of frustration to our lives.” – Rudá Iandê

“The problem we have nowadays is that money has become a measure of our happiness and success in life. If you don’t have it, it affects your self-esteem.” – Rudá Iandê

30:29 The prosperity masterclass

Different perceptions of prosperity
Ruda’s relationship with time
What is your quest in life?
Pursuing more than just money in life

“For me, [prosperity] is to bring what I really want to bring. To develop what I really want to develop in my life. I know my talents, my purpose, I know what I love doing and being able to live a comfortable life doing what I love, it’s enough prosperity.” – Rudá Iandê

“My most precious asset is time, and it’s a lie that time is money. It’s capitalist bullsh*t. Time is much more worthy than money. Time is priceless.” – Rudá Iandê

“I think it’s our quest, and our responsibility to make our environment and our days healthy and joyful. Cultivate good relationships with our work and our environment, and we can live a life in the joy of even small things.” – Rudá Iandê

“If there is an asset which we must treasure, it’s our creativity. We must fight with all our energy, our power, to not let anything turn off the light of our passion.” – Rudá Iandê

38:40 Finding inner peace

Being present in your life
Self-improvement and empowerment can lead to forms of prosperity
Law of attraction and prosperity
The separation of our dreams from our reality

“When you start nourishing your being, yourself, it gives you energy and personal power. As a result, you have many more inner resources, much more clarity and much more energy. You start expanding your horizons, seeing things from more perspectives, and your creativity is much more accessible. It ends up reflecting in your prosperity.” – Rudá Iandê

“From developing a nice relationship with yourself and with life, it will naturally impact your economic life and your financial life.” – Rudá Iandê

“There this notion of time that the human being is capable of creating with our imagination. So we can imagine something tomorrow, next month or five years from now, and it’s one of our most powerful attributes, but it can become our own worst enemy.” – Justin Brown

44:36 Our attachment to the unreal

The obsession with a dream which doesn’t yet exist
Focusing on goals in the future takes away from being present in reality
Self-nourishment is needed to achieve real prosperity
Justin’s experience with the law of attraction (and later with Ruda)
What we can learn about prosperity from nature

“Where are you getting your nourishment from? Are you planted in your present life? Can you recognize the blessing you have in your life, starting by the air you breathe?” – Rudá Iandê

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