WELL-BEING FOUNDATIONS
author:Talidari

Well-being, both material and spiritual, of a person and a community is determined by many values such as health, wealth, interpersonal relationships, freedom, peace etc. For most people finances play a vital role in achieving well-being (maintaining health, wealth, freedom, peace and good relationships), which are influenced by economy. Our economy, as well as the one of most of the world’s countries' societies is based on knowledge. The strategic goal of the European Union, determined by the European Council in Lisabon is: to be the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world, in order to maintain sustainable economic growth, strengthen employment, economic reform and social cohesion.

How come with all the great knowledge used by educated professionals, experts, specialists, academics, intellectuals and other highly educated citizens occupying the highest municipal, governmental and corporate positions, nevertheless most countries are in debt?
How come most of the highly educated members of our society live in debt and in constan struggle, are not really successful and rarely in a state of well-being?
Is knowledge really the basis for prosperity? Is success of an economy really based on knowledge?

The answer provided by "The School of Life" to why we experience collapse, crisis and unsteady economy is because our economy is based on knowledge.

 

The model for overcoming crisis and for the lasting success and happiness, suggested by "The School of Life" (i.e. its founder Talidari), is that our economy, our society and the success of its individuals should be based on three pillars - knowledge, skills and virtues, with emphasis on the virtues:

 

In the knowledge-based economy and education the missing foundations are the virtues and skills - they should form the basis, not only additional "bricks or tools" to build our success.
What's the use of all the knowledge in this world if a person does not have certain virtues to use his or her knowledge properly?! In business environment, for example, one needs virtues such as enterprising, self-initiative, self-discipline, perseverance, persistence, determination, endurance, resilience, consistency, patience, faith (in yourself, in your possibilities, in the value of what you do etc.), credibility, trust, love (for your work and others), responsibility, authenticity, joy, enthusiasm, optimism, creativity, innovativeness, integrity, honesty, honor, wisdom, diligence, humbleness, curiosity, openness etc.
The lack of virtues leads to corruption, irresponsible behavior, misconduct, greed, laziness and similar flaws that bring about failure and suffering.

Through formal education we get mostly knowledge and through the school of life we normally develop some virtues and skills. The latter happens through upbringing, religious practice, informal education, self-education and other extra-curricular activities and experiences. However, unfortunately, nowadays it is often the case that parents do not have enough time nor the know-how to pass the necessary virtues and skills onto their children. Also, it is often the case that besides formal education parents provide their children only with sports activities and foreign language tuition at the expense of non-formal education that specializes on virtues.

E-program "The School of Life"

E-course "Virtuology"

In order to avoid building these existential pillars in a nonchalant manner,
we have created an e-learning program called "The School of Life" and the pertaining e-course "Virtuology" offering support in building up virtues and skills.

The knowledge upon which our economy is based is in fact information, not the truth. Having information or knowing the facts is not equivalent of knowledge, because the facts are not always right nor sufficient. Everything is relative but the truth. So the knowledge, too, is relative, as it depends on a series of factors. The indirect or transferred knowledge we receive through other people and the media is not the same as the real truth about reality or direct or original knowledge we receive by, say, intuition and conscience. Thus, in order to achieve both personal and social well-being, we shouldn't aspire to and build our life on knowledge but on truth or wisdom (which is a virtue).

We know that for personal happiness and success, fulfillment of only one aspect of our life is not enough. It is necessary to excel in most of them, if not all of them. A person who has a very successful career and high income but poor health and major issues in relationships, having no peace of mind, no real freedom and not enough free time for family friends, we cannot call such person successful and happy. Well-being, as in all-around success and happiness, consists of at least five values:

WELL-BEING (MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL) Health Physical and mental Relationships Interpersonal - family, romance, business, friendships... Abundance financial, material and spiritual wealth... Freedom free will, choices... Peace spiritual, emotional, with others, national...

 

Balance and Harmony

In order to achieve lasting happiness and success, we have to understand the law of polarity, to be stable and balance between the opposite poles within ourselves, as well as between the bipolar tendencies of which two are ubiquitous - material and spiritual. A person who is out of balance cannot achieve lasting spiritual nor material well-being.

Those seeking only material achievements and thereby neglecting their spiritual side, will never accomplish the fullness of life, and they will therefore not experience complete happiness and success. Likewise, those who focus mainly or even only on the spiritual aspect of their life, neglecting and even criticizing the material world, are also unbalanced and unable to have peace and harmony in the material world in which they live. They are often experiencing financial difficulties and depending on other people's or state's charity (creating karmic debts).

For every ascent and "flight" we need both "wings", material and spiritual. Using only one is either difficult or impossible. We could compare it with the fact that for an easy stride through life we need both feet. We could use only one, but it is harder. Thus, use both of your wings or both of your feet, and everything will be fine. Use your virtues.

If you want to excel in life and have a value of a gem, so to speak, then you need to, just like a diamond, cut and polish all your sides - physical, emotional and mental. Polishing one side only, as in a diamond, won't make you shine. To shine in life we have to polish all of the sides of our own nature.

One kilo of diamond is worth a thousand times more than a kilo of gold. What makes a diamond valuable is its durability, brilliance and beauty, which is obtained by a certain way of skiving. Smoothness and symmetry (smoothness and facet alignment) of a diamond affect its brilliance just like with humans. This is achieved by the proper and deep skiving followed by polishing.

In order to shine we need to, therefore, polish all three sides of our nature - nurture the body, enhance mental abilities and stabilize our emotions.

What is symmetry to diamonds it's balance to humans - the balance of all our three main facets: body, mind and heart. Our soul is core of our being, who we really are, and should balance our physical, intellectual and emotional qualities. And in order to do that, we should allow it (our soul) to be the master of our being. By relying too much on the intellect, surrendering too much to emotions or giving too much attention to the physical, you prevent the soul to shine in its full splendor and provide you with well-being, you natural state.

If you still don't shine, it means you're still a diamond in the rough - raw or insufficiently refined. Your shine, your brightness or brilliance cannot come to the fore if any of the three facets of your being is in disharmony with the other two.

Therefore, there is a refining process which turns anyone into a "real gem". Refining consists of education, mind reprogramming, cleaning the subconscious, resistance unleashing, awareness, emotion management, spiritual exercises (meditation and prayer), light physical exercises, faith augmentation, soul frequency tuning, horizons broadening... and most of all it consist of … well, let’s call it virtuologization. You know what it means.

All these processes are taking place in your inner being, so that they can refine you into becoming the best version of yourself and so achieve well-being. They have a force to build a character that is aligned with your life's purpose/mission. Our thoughts have the power to raise us up or cast us into the abyss, strengthen or weaken. The choice is up to us. You can allow others to shape you according to their visions or you can shape your character and destiny to your own choosing. You can choose whether to be resentful or take the best out of life, to be a loser or to be a winner. You have the power to make that choice at all times.

The problems arise only when you are disconnected from your source, the source of your strength and your happiness. Like any electrical device that is not plugged in - it has no power unless it is connected to energy source. All potential is at your disposal - plug in and everything will be great.

If your life is not what it should be, there is a simple reason for it: you're not in tune with nature, with your soul, with the universe. In other words, you're disconnected from your power source.

Have you ever seen a detached branch bearing fruit? Of course not. Neither can we flourish or bear fruit as long as we are disconnected from the Higher Power, from our energy source. Sometimes and somewhere we can achieve short-term success, but it will not take us far. Some aspects of life can even flourish, but it will not last. After all, of what use is a bed of roses in one area of life, when in others there are only thorns? What good is all the wealth in this world when a cancer is eating you away, or if love has turned its back on you?

Therefore, you have to have it all (health, abundance, peace, freedom and loving relationships) to enjoy well-being. The way to achieve it: let your emotions, intellect and physical senses be governed by your soul. Polish all sides of your personality so that the light can shine through you and make you bright and brilliant as a diamond! Do it by means of virtues.