My Transformational Resolution That Gave Me Life

I had always taken for granted the fact that I had enormous wealth that would never dry up. I was born into it, lived with it all my life - for better and worse - and had no clue about what it might feel like to be poor. Nor did I worry about poverty becoming an issue that I'd ever have to deal with.

I believed myself to be a generous man with my help and the 6,036 employees of our pharmaceutical company. I did not see myself as being bigoted on any level, other than the usual defensive poor vs. rich separation that great wealth naturally creates. For the most part, I contributed my fair share of deductible contributions to notable charities and never really paid much attention to politics or law making. That is, until I read this essay that one of my employees felt to leave in my mail box on December 30 - anonymously.

"A Billionaire's Resolution We Can All Live By,"

by J. Ashi Olshan

Not the name of any billionaire that I had ever heard of, but nevertheless, the title caught my attention - as a billionaire - and so inspired me to read what it had to say. The contents was surprising, and I had to admit it took the wind out of my sails a bit, because it made me question my happiness, my generosity, and my awareness - awareness of what was going down around me, that my wealthy blinders had kept me from noticing.

It made me think twice about a bunch of things. Things that I had never felt to question before, like did my family, friends and employees 'truly' like or love or respect me, respectively - or was my wealth keeping me from seeing how they might actually be feigning their feelings toward me, because of my privileged position.

And, was my turning all my political decisions over to the political party that best supported the wealthy, really in my best interests. Things that I never really questioned, because I was wealthy, shielded from ever having to look at or do anything that did not please me; the blessings and the curse of being wealthy.

I particularly appreciated an eye opening statement the essayist made: "Money can't buy you happiness, but too little or too much can buy you a lot of grief." Not exactly the lessons my father ever taught me, as he raised me to always believe that our being wealthy was a great privilege that I should always be grateful for, while never mentioning the fact that it did not always yield me the emotional security I so desperately needed - by my emotionally absent parents.

That our wealth also denied me the ambition - to do anything - that builds great character amongst those less privileged than me. In a word, I was flawed, but never really wanted to accept it. Nor did I ever question why I drank too much, partied too much, and always felt a yearning for something I could never quite put my finger on; a void in me that none of my therapists could ever fully answer. In any event, this essay changed by outlook, and after you read it, I'll share what it inspired me to do.

A Billionaire’s Resolution We Can All Live By

by J. Ashi Olshan

Pandemic aside, our great nation is plagued with the most devastating epidemic that humanity has ever had to face. A challenge so monumental that if we fail to immediately make it priority #1, it will create more suffering and cost more lives than every illness, plague, pandemic, and war that we have ever known – combined. It will destroy the lives of poor and rich alike, and leave our country and planet devastated for generations to come.

This global dis-ease, that so plagues our nation and so threatens our very survival, is GREED; unconscionable, ego-driven greed. The misguided, inhumane, blasphemous behavior of those with too much power – and too little consciousness – to do what is best for our planet and all its vulnerable inhabitants.

Sadly, greed has created our present day Insanity of Inhumanity, what I call an appalling Dumb-Mock-Raci, poorly disguised as a democracy. Where obscene amounts of money are more important than human lives, winning is more important than integrity, political power more important than love of one’s country, self-indulgence more important than kindness and compassion, and where rich investors’ profits are more important than fair living wages for those who work hard to create OUR GREAT WEALTH. Worst of all, controlling the masses (for ego and unconscionable profit) is more important than honest news. (Ref: The Murdock Empire Influence. The Loudest Voice in the Room). All just “misguided paths” in pursuit of the same happiness we all want and deserve. (Ref: The Art of Power - Thich Nhat Hanh).

When held by the hand of one inflicted with the dis-ease of greed, the stroke of a pen can do more damage and create more unnecessary suffering than all the guns in the world.

(Ref: The Big Short. Inequality for All. An Inconvenient Truth).

When greed or narcissism possesses a person of great wealth or political power, our entire planet and billions of beings suffer, unnecessarily, including those with the greatest wealth, unaware of the price they too pay: their great loss of genuinely earned respect, authentic love, and reliable trust. All the truth-based gifts in this life that excessive wealth often denies.

Fortunately, anyone’s path can be changed at any given moment, from an unexpected event; that sudden fork in the road, an illness, the death of a loved one, or the overwhelming Coronavirus Pandemic – this generation’s rudest awakening, waking us to the fact that We all need to support each other as never before, if We are to survive as a nation. Perhaps this, rather than the divisive political rhetoric that divides us, should be our new national mantra for unity:

I am never as right as We are

Though catastrophes like COVID-19 Pandemic can bring out the worst in some (corporate gouging of prices), they also bring out the best in others (Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen, feeding millions of people in humanitarian crisis situations around the world). All such events create new revelations, epiphanies, discoveries - born of necessity. Sudden great realizations, that can take anyone out of a lifetime of fear–based isolating selfishness, and catapult them into a harmonious life of loving service and grace. (Examples: John Newton, slave trader turned minister, who wrote the song, “Amazing Grace.” Former segregationist, Governor George Wallace, who eventually denounced his misguided segregationist’s beliefs and won reelection with the votes of black people.)

Money can’t buy you happiness.

But, too little – or too much

Will buy you a lot of grief.

Fortunately, there is a remedy that can instantly make awakened heroes of all our our most misguided citizens. Free millions of people from the bondage of unjustly imposed poverty, release the choke-hold on OUR’merican humanity, and create a safe and grateful nation that is a pleasure to live in – for all its deserving inhabitants.

The hands of a few now hold the viable lifesaver for hundreds of millions of hard- working families, who still don’t have all they need - due to unconscionably greedy illicit lawmaking. (The top 1% owns as much as the entire middle class: USA Today, Dec. 6, 2023 https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/12/06/top-1-american-earners-more- wealth-middle-class/71769832007/)

Too few have too much, while too many have not enough.

All you need to do, my billionaire sisters and brothers, to totally transform our world from a greed-based paradigm to a healthy feed-based paradigm, is make this one New Years Resolution and keep it. Just vow to make this single shift in your perspective, from

“He, who has the most when he dies, wins”

to

“S/He, who helps the most before s/he dies, wins.”

There has never been a more opportune time to become a real living hero than right now, given the severity of our present national and global crisis. As soon as you, my mega-wealthy sisters and brothers, become part of the solution, rather than remain part of the problem (replacing our democracy with your oligarchy), you will be nationally and globally revered. You will be honestly respected by everyone, immediately treated as a great hero by your global family, and become a real humane being, one who history will surely remember kindly.

In addition, you will still get to continue to enjoy the luxurious life style that you have become so accustomed to, except now you will get to enjoy your life more genuinely than ever before. You will know in your heart and soul that you now truly deserve it, and get to sleep peacefully at night, without fear of reprisal from those repressed by the horrific greed.

Then, with your children, employees, friends, and neighbors all genuinely proud of you, you’ll one day get to leave this world with the legacy of a Beloved Saint, rather than as just another selfish, evil person who everyone will want to quickly forget. (Ref: Vladamere Putin)

“I believe that, as long as there is plenty, poverty is evil.”

–Robert F. Kennedy, 1967

We never stop celebrating our heroes. We never forget their heroic acts of compassion. Now, that’s a legacy that will surely stand the tests of time for centuries to follow.

(Examples: Buddha, Jesus, Gandhi, Dr. King, Mother Teresa, Mandela, John Ono Lennon, Jose Andres, etc.)

In our great and wealthy nation, OUR’merica, we have all we need, but we all need all we have, which 99% of us earned with our blood, sweat, and tears. So please, my 1% beloved sisters and brothers, and you law-faking, law-breaking, illicit lawmakers in Congress,

Feed not greed – and you too will be freed.

All the power and all the money in all the hidden bank accounts in the world could never buy you the unbridled guilt-free joy, genuine love, and sincere respect that “watering the seeds of compassion that lie dormant inside you,”1 can and will yield.

"When the power of love

Overcomes the love of power

The world will know peace.”

1. Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power

-Jimi Hendrix

EDITOR’S NOTE:

From the nonfiction book in progress by J. Ashi Olshan, for 2024. “American Resolution 2024 - A Blueprint for an Honestly Applied Democracy - for the first time in 247 years.” E- info@ashiarts.us

Wow, did that make me think twice about what was true for me and what was not. I suddenly realizes what a statement I had once read by Dr. Gerald Jampolsky meant, which said, "Giving and receiving are the same thing." Then I recalled a little bronze plaque I saw in San Anselme, California one time, that also gave me reason to shift my gears, "If you can't bring happiness to yourself, then bring it to someone else." I was suddenly excited to think that there was finally something that I too could feel passionate about - compassionately passionate about - and that was bringing some happiness to others, which I had the power to do!

I was reminded of the time that I was in a wheel chair for a broken leg and hated having to ask strangers at parking lots to help me with the chair when I drove myself to the store just to get out, but found that most people actually looked happy to help, making me realize it was because they felt - in that moment - that they were good people, and good people feel deserving of good things. So I never felt bad about asking for that help again.

This all got me so inspired that I chose to become "part of the solution," as the essay suggested. I did so by disguising myself as a factory worker at our Colorado plant, to learn first hand who needs what, that I could then help out with. I started making anonymous donations to many of my employees - good, hard working people, who deserved that little extra help. For a few who had old broken down vehicles, I bought them new cars - anonymously. For workers with ill members of their families, I paid off their medical bills. For three young men and two women who aspired to go to college, I paid for their educations. All anonymously, so I could keep doing it under cover and know for myself that I did it for the right reasons, and not for my ego or praise.

I then took a second look at the political party that I was supporting all my life, my father's party, and noticed that they had little concern for the working class, passed illicit laws to better their own wealth at the expense of others less fortunate than them, and so I decided to no longer support them with my usual substantial campaign donations.

Dr. Jampolsky, in his book, "Teach Only Love," was right. Giving and receiving are the same thing, and bringing happiness to others did actually bring a lot of fulfilling happiness to me - in the form of my newly found high self esteem, that all the therapy sessions and fancy vacations never could. I now highly recommend helping others as the remedy to one's unhappiness, because I am now grateful for all the right reasons.