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Does Money Corrupt People? · Reading Your Own Life with Swami Larry

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome back to Reading Your Own Life with Swami Larry.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: And this season is Money Can Buy Happiness.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_01: And in episode three, we're going to talk about does money corrupt people?
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_01: So there's the question, I'll follow it up again.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Does money corrupt people?
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the headline.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: If you're going to have a better relationship with money, stop blaming it.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like we need to shout this one from the rooftops because blame it, we do.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_01: We hold money responsible for things it never caused.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_01: I had a family member once tell me that they didn't want money because they believe it corrupted people.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_01: Now, I thought that was a genuinely funny thing to say, but I don't know if it made me afraid of money because if money had the power to corrupt, then staying away from it would seem like the safest choice.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_01: But there's a deeply rooted fear we hold on to, whether it comes from our ancestors, our families, or society as a whole, it's an irrational block.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: And more than that, it's a myth.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: And here's the truth: money isn't bad.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: Money is neutral.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't have thoughts, feelings, a heart, or a mind.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: Therefore, by its nature, it cannot turn people bad.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_01: Money certainly isn't a magician, after all.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_01: But it is all about taking responsibility for ourselves and knowing that we are the only ones who can decide whether we act for good or for bad.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: So let's take a moment to look at why we think money has the power to corrupt.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_01: If you have money, you always want more.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_01: Do you not?
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, not necessarily.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: This is a personal choice that only you can make.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: However, people may rationalize corrupt actions if they believe they deserve more.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_01: Perhaps you see people with money and you want that.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Then when you get it, you want more because you still feel the old unfairness of not having had it.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, can you see that it is about you, not the money itself?
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: Greed can be linked to the brain, and rewards activate the dopamine system.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: But here's the catch.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: Dopamine is never satisfied.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: It never will be satisfied.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: The moment you receive a raise, a new car, or win in the stock market, dopamine is released and then it fades.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: The brain says again, again, and again.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: This is why some people chase money endlessly, much like a gambler pulling the lever on a slot machine.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: However, neuroscience also reveals counterbalances.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_01: Gratitude and generosity activate oxycottin and serotonin.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: These calm the nervous system and they deepen feelings of connection and replace craving with contentment.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: In other words, if dopamine is the spark of greed, then gratitude and giving are the steady flame of peace.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Greed may fuel craving, but corruption is a different beast entirely.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: Individuals acting corruptly are not being controlled by money, power, or anything else that we traditionally blame.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: They do justify their actions by claiming money or power controls them, but none of that is true.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: Money is an excellent excuse for bad behavior.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: But again, it is not the cause.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: The world we're immersed in does play a role.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: If you work in an environment where corruption is implicitly encouraged, it may begin to feel normal.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: That can create a dangerous gray area within.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: However, we all have our own moral compasses.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_01: And we do need to remember that power itself has its own influence.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: And studies have shown that power can increase a person's sense of entitlement and reduce their empathy.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: However, this is not an excuse because it's not the power itself that's at fault, but rather how you use it.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because power can also be used for good.
• 4:37
  SPEAKER_00: And we do see that spiritual traditions have been saying the same thing for a millennia.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: In yoga and Buddhism, power, whether physical, political, or spiritual, is understood as a neutral energy.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_01: The Sanskrit term Shakti means force.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: It can heal or it can harm.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: And money is no different.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: It simply amplifies the hand that holds it.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: And if power and money only amplify what's already inside us, then responsibility becomes everything.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Money is energy.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's a neutral tool.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_01: It knows no sin and can only do what the person holding it wants.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's we, the hand that holds the money, who carries the intent.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: In simple terms, it's not the money that corrupts.
• 5:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's what we're willing to do for it that can.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Stop blaming money and look at ourselves.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: You only have to look at the news to know that there are bad people in the world.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: And not all those people have money.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, people with money can be bad, but so can people with absolutely no money at all.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: Therefore, we know that money isn't the common denominator.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: So the deeper question isn't about what others do with money.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's about what we fear we might do.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: Is there any truth to the idea that you fear money because you fear it would change you?
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_00: I've heard this from different friends.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: I've discussed this with friends.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_01: Would it change us?
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: Would it change you?
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: We may be comfortable with a certain amount of money, but we worry if that we had more, we might start behaving badly.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_01: But the truth, again, is money is not going to change you.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_01: Only you can do that.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's not money you fear.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_01: Please hear that.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's not the money you fear.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_01: It's yourself.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_01: And that's your starting point.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: And often the deeper fear is responsibility or being truly seen.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: More money can certainly mean stepping into leadership, making tougher choices, and losing that cover of excuses.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: The Megadeta will flag that shift always as a threat, and it will flood the system with fear.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: However, when we face it consciously, through self-reflection, deep breathing, clarity, the nervous system can't shift back into a state of balance.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Fear will fade.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: And what results is freedom.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: Freedom takes its place.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: It's the time when we stop fearing what money might turn us into, that we can finally see the good that it can empower us to do.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Money can be used for good or bad, but it does depend on the values and choices of the people who have it.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_00: We hear far more about the bad than the good.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: But the good absolutely exists.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: It just doesn't make the headlines.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: But one of my favorite examples of this is the fabulous Dolly Parton.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: She has worked incredibly hard and amassed great wealth, yet she has done tremendous good with it.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Since 1995, Dolly Parton's Imagination Library has gifted over 270 million free books to children worldwide.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_01: Another example is Taylor Swift, who recently had a record-breaking tour.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_01: And she donated to food to food banks in every city she visited.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: If you look up several billionaires, you will see who gives the most to charity.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_01: And most of the names you'll usually find high on that list are Mackenzie Scott, Warren Buffett, and Melinda French Gates.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_01: Are there people we don't know about who give their money freely?
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: Of course there is.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: They give knowing their own needs are met first.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's an important distinction.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: One's needs must always be met first.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's the proverbial you cannot pour from an empty cup scenario.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: Having the ability to pour from a cup that is always full lets you make a difference in many places.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: Whether you give a dollar to charity or a million dollars, it's about intention.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: And from every good intention, something beautiful can grow.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: If two people can have the same amount of money, just to say a billion dollars, and one spends it on war while the other uses it to feed children, what does that tell us?
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: It tells us that we as human beings are free to choose how we behave in this world.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: And we should not blame money.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_01: If we have a strong moral compass, then money will not change that.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: We know that money can be used to build hospitals or fund wars.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: It could feed families, eradicate poverty, or it can fuel greed.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: The real issue isn't money's existence, but in what people choose to do with it.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_01: When we realize this, we stop blaming money and open our eyes to what people are truly like, because it's character, pure and simple, that makes the choices.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: So that line now is simple.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Money is good.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Money is good.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: So if money is good, then you need to ask yourself: how will you relate to it?
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_01: Will you relate to it in terms of greed?
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_01: Will it be fear?
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_01: Will you use it generously?
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_01: Will you realize that you can act responsibly with this money?
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: So here's something to try this week.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_01: To get into the mindset that money can do good, look up an example of someone who has used money for good.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Take the time to read about them, learn about their work, and see what they have accomplished.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_01: Then choose a number you're comfortable experimenting with, say a million dollars, and make a list of all the good things you could do with that money.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine the people you'd help, the causes you'd support, the lives you would touch.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: As you visualize this, notice how your body feels.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: Do you feel lighter, more expanded, more joyful?
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: And if you do, that's neuroplasticity in action.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_00: You are training your brain to associate money with compassion instead of fear.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: And that is your make a difference list.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Keep it, read it regularly, and bond with it.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: Now, think about the fact that if money can't turn you into a bad person, how much good could you do if you invited more money into your life?
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: Smile at that thought.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: Because we need more of that.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: The world needs more of that.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: So join me next time for episode four.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll talk about whose money story are you living?
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, I'm Swami Larry.