others, a collective of higher forces moving us toward our
highest good. If you are still dealing with a god
consciousness that has remained unexamined since
childhood, you arc probably dealing with a toxic god. What
would a nontoxic god think of your creative goals? Might
such a god really exist? If so, would money or your job or
your lover remain your higher power?
Many of us equate difficulty with virtue—and art with
fooling around. Hard work is good. A terrible job must be
building our moral fiber. Something—a talent for painting,
say—that comes to us easily and seems compatible with us
must be some sort of cheap trick, not to be taken seriously.
On the one hand, we give lip service to the notion that God
wants us to be happy, joyous, and free. On the other, we
secretly think that God wants us to be broke if we are going
to be so decadent as to want to be artists. Do we have any
proof at all for these ideas about God?
Always leave enough time in your life to do something
that makes you happy, satisfied, even joyous. That has
more of an effect on economic well-being than any
other single factor.
PAUL HAWKENLooking at God’s creation, it is pretty clear that the
creator itself did not know when to stop. There is not one
pink flower, or even fifty pink flowers, but hundreds.