[Shaahayda Rizvi]

Dear Kristina,

Thank you for your thoughtful response. For me, your last paragraph nailed the issue of a fair and just society. You wrote, “But for another reason, a poetically rich perspective honours the sacredness of all things – the earth and all her creatures – and holds an increasingly expanding vision of the wider cosmos.”

Thoughtful of earth and all its creatures takes me to the time when oil was discovered in the Norwegian continental shelf in 1969, Norwegians working within a constitutional monarchy, sat down and planned a long-term wealth, that would benefit their entire society and make them competitive beyond just a commodities exporter. Their universal health coverage, free university education (for  international students too), a year’s worth of maternity and paternity leave, senior care for life, plus a lot more, were all a result of  careful ‘sacred thinking for all’ and also sound planning to invest the ‘sovereign wealth fund’  for the wellbeing of all, not just for the king’s coffers (as in some ME absolute monarchies) or as in  countries with a free-market approach, where governments are discouraged from long-term public planning.  Norway’s “oil and gas activities have rendered more than just revenue for the benefit of the future generations, but has also rendered employment, workplaces and highly skilled industries.”

Norway is not the only country that has so properly invested for its people, and thought of the land as sacred, there are many others. On the other hand, these Scandi countries have also discriminated  against the Samis,  but since the late 80s and 90s, the Scandinavian countries, have  accorded special protection and rights to the Samis. They now have seats in the Parliament. They decide  the area of activity of the country’s  Sámi Parliament and the  Sámi and Scandinavian  languages have equal standing in the country.

All this to say that Joseph’s words tell me that revenues from country’s resources ought to be distributed fairly among the people. “Money is congealed energy and releasing it releases life possibilities …Money experienced as life energy is indeed a meditation and letting it  flow out instead of hoarding it is a mode of participation in the life of others.” (Joseph Campbell Companion (P. 58))  http://www.jcf.org/quotes

Shaahayda (in gratitude)