Creating prosperity from within

Author and speaker Deepak Chopra hails the global downturn as an opportunity to rebuild the world’s economy

By Shannon Sweetnam

6/15/2009 - “We are not in an economic crisis, we are in an economic opportunity,” Deepak Chopra told the crowd of Kellogg students who flooded the Tribune Auditorium on May 29 to hear him speak.

	Related Video Watch video of Deepak Chopra's presentation

“Today, we are witnessing a dying carcass. We are witness to the collapse of an exhausted system built on toxic assets. This is an opportunity for reincarnation.”

Chopra is the founder and director of education at The Chopra Center for Well Being, co-founder and president of the Alliance for a New Humanity, and a world leader in mind-body medicine. He is also an adjunct professor at Kellogg, where he teaches The Soul of Leadership, an executive education class focused on personal awareness.

Chopra told the student audience that it can no longer deny that it is not directly affected by the fact that half the world’s population lives on less than two dollars a day.

“There is no solution to the world’s problems unless it is global,” said Chopra, explaining that the problem of poverty is intertwined with crises around the world. “The old paradigm about ‘me’ as a separate self is dead. What’s happening today forces us to recognize that we are members of one body, one energy field and all contained in one global consciousness.”

Chopra urged Kellogg students to think of business not as a means to enhancing shareholders’ value but as a way to enhance the quality of life. “If we keep that in mind, there is no limit to the prosperity coming out of here,” he said.

He also reminded students of the power of their creativity and collective consciousness. “Each of you contains the potential and creativity needed to help turn this crisis around and to create prosperity,” he said. “All we have to do now is get in touch with our soul, where our humanity lives and where we connect with each other.”

Chopra added that prosperity is a process that must be created from within. He offered a number of ideas for doing so, including ridding oneself of clutter, including the energy wasted on mindless things; focusing on nourishment, whether with regard to one’s body, relationships or the economy; and giving something away each time one purchases something.

“If you buy a new suit, give an old suit away. If you eat at an expensive restaurant, pay for a meal for a homeless person,” he advised. “And every once in a while, do something not motivated by profit.”