Greatest profit ever known

[Wabi-sabi]

If you were given the greatest spiritual truth ever known directly from God, how would you market such knowledge for the highest possibe gain?

[TheColonel]

It depends on how you define gain.

Me personally? I would give it away.

[Wabi-sabi]

Originally Posted by TheColonel

It depends on how you define gain.

Me personally? I would give it away.

I mean money, of course. Lots of it!

Would you allow someone else to steal your devinely given knowledge and make money from it?

[kthdsn]

Money isn't everything. I don't believe in god, but if I was given some kind of divine knowledge, I would share it for free and enjoy seeing how it made people happy. No amount of money is worth as much as spreading joy.

[thef0x]

Originally Posted by Wabi-sabi

If you were given the greatest spiritual truth ever known directly from God, how would you market such knowledge for the highest possibe gain?

See a therapist.

God is dead.


Sorry for being so intolerant but WHAT!!

I HATE the idea of money and spirituality. I cannot believe you would sell your "eternal happiness" that God gave you for money. Why shouldn't everyone get it for free?

Aren't you already happy with your gift from God?



I seriously hate seeing things like this because it reminds me of how ignorant some people are.

I hate evangalists as well.

Clearly I am atheist (without God). I believe in the phenomenal world which is utterly beautiful. I am a poet. I love. I am without God.

Anyway, to others reading this that I've offended, I'm sorry, but to the original poster, I hope you read my words and take them seriously.

[Wabi-sabi]

Originally Posted by kthdsn

Money isn't everything. I don't believe in god, but if I was given some kind of divine knowledge, I would share it for free and enjoy seeing how it made people happy. No amount of money is worth as much as spreading joy.

You can still spread joy and make a profit. The more money people pay, the more valuable the information will be to them. You will actually be bringing people more joy as you make more and more money.

[kthdsn]

I'm sorry but I disagree. Some people can't afford to spend money on non-essential stuff. Should they be excluded from the happiness?

[thef0x]

Originally Posted by Wabi-sabi

You can still spread joy and make a profit. The more money people pay, the more valuable the information will be to them. You will actually be bringing people more joy as you make more and more money.

Dude. If I believed in Hell I would say you're going to it.

[Wabi-sabi]

Originally Posted by thef0x

See a therapist.

Anyway, to others reading this that I've offended, I'm sorry, but to the original poster, I hope you read my words and take them seriously.

Open your eyes! Spirituality is one of the biggest markets available. Its just like selling shoes only there is more money in it and cost of goods sold is hardly anything. Its all about what marketing strategy works best which was the original question.

[Wabi-sabi]

Originally Posted by kthdsn

I'm sorry but I disagree. Some people can't afford to spend money on non-essential stuff. Should they be excluded from the happiness?

The longer the information is on the market, the less value it will have. As time passes, you gradually lower your prices and eventually everyone will be able to purchase the information.

[kthdsn]

I think that's ridiculous. You either want to help people or you don't.

[Wabi-sabi]

Originally Posted by thef0x

Dude. If I believed in Hell I would say you're going to it.

I don't believe in hell either so that senerio is not part of the marketing plan. We can be nice to each other here. Actually, I have found being nice to be a great business strategy just to past that along for free.

[Wabi-sabi]

Originally Posted by kthdsn

I think that's ridiculous. You either want to help people or you don't.

It is not either/or. You help people and you help yourself. Everyone wins.

I'm actually shocked at the responses to this question. People who make money are not evil because they make money.

[RandomJohn]

Wabi - I think at this point too many people have been burned by the fundamentalist money machine pouring money into political causes, Scientology, or other corruption of religious/spiritual enterprise (not limited to fundamentalism, mind you) mixed with capitalism to comment fairly on your question. There is also the notion that money is the root of all evil (which I don't believe -- the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil). (Sorry, no offense is intended to serious practitioners of the specific faiths I mentioned, though you do have to admit that corruption and apparent corruption is rampant.)

I understand where you are coming from. Money is potential energy and effort, and we have to spend effort in one form or another to grow spiritually. Once upon a time, that effort was in the form of cleaning the guru's floor or doing the mundane tasks in exchange for spiritual teachings. Now money is available as a partial replacement to that arrangement (though PRACTICE is a necessary part of any spiritual development and that can never be replaced by money). You have an interesting question, but I'm afraid in these times you are going to find a completely understandable resistance to it -- here and elsewhere.

[Wabi-sabi]

Okay, say all profit from our devine knowledge goes to charity (you, of course, will believe this).

What is the best strategy to maximise our profits for charity?

[Leonard]

Originally Posted by Wabi-sabi

You can still spread joy and make a profit. The more money people pay, the more valuable the information will be to them. You will actually be bringing people more joy as you make more and more money.

Are you living in your own world?

[TheColonel]

Opportunism - {op-por-tun-ism/ Pronunciation Key} -
–noun 1. the policy or practice, as in politics, business, or one's personal affairs, of adapting actions, decisions, etc., to expediency or effectiveness regardless of the sacrifice of ethical principles.


Compadre, there is no moral dilemma inherent in making a profit by helping people. But your post - and entire perspective, from what I can tell - is that you're focused on the profit....NOT the helping people part.

You come across as someone who wants to fleece people. That is distasteful, and people will likely pick up on it - as they have in this thread.

On the other end of the spectrum, you have people like Steve Pavlina. Steve helps people first, and they choose to either compensate him or not - based on the value that they perceive.

If God has truly given you a gift like you've described, and you are sitting on it trying to calculate a way to bilk people with it, you are building a karmic wall around yourself.

However, the words and ideas you express lead me to believe that you do not possess what you think you possess.

[Guinevere]

if god's (if there was a god) greatest spiritual truth ever known given to you was "to give everything for free, to help people without intending to get any material gain whatsoever"?

[Wabi-sabi]

I have an idea for generating income using the spirituality industry. I have checked many of the spirituality websites and nothing the industry is currently doing is going to fit my idea. I will come up with something. I have no intention of fleecing anyone.

I'm sorry for the previous posts. I realize without knowing more about the idea know one is in a position to help me. Please don't judge me harshly. I'm not the only one wanting to cash in on spirituality.

[ahimel]

I see several major arguments for wanting to make money with the knowledge somehow

2. To make people value it Humans are frequently incapable of valuing something they didn't pay for. That's why rich families in the US have 3rd-generation syndrome, where the 1st generation makes it big, the 2nd generation squanders it, and the 3rd generation goes completely nuts and loses it all. If you didn't work for it, you won't value it. Do you think it would be good if people assigned high value to the greatest spiritual truth ever known? I do
   
3. To reach more people How are you going to tell people this truth? Tell everyone you meet? Shout it from a soapbox on the street? Wouldn't it be better to reach more people than you could ever talk to in a lifetime? That means mass media. And mass media costs money. Sure, you can start a website for $10, but how do you get people to come there? Either by spending money (in which case you need some) or by being very, very patient, like Steve. Which brings us to...
   
4. To be able to continue teaching it Suppose, inspired by this vision, you quit your job, and went to create website, get on TV, stand in the streets, whatever it took to get the message out there. Then what? 2 weeks, or 2 months, or 2 years later (depending on your savings) you're starving in the streets. You shut up shop, go make money as a janitor, and no one else ever hears this message again. But suppose instead you find a way to make the process self-sustaining. You bring in enough money each month that you can focus on message-spreading full-time and continue to grow. Now you've got something that will go on forever (if you can find someone to take over when you die) helping future generations
   
5. If you provide value, it's fair to be paid If God came to Steve tonight in a dream and provided him with the greatest spiritual truth ever known, what would Steve do tomorrow? He'd post it on his blog. What would happen then? People would say, "Wow! That's the greatest spiritual truth I've ever heard. I'm so grateful I read that. I'll donate to Steve to thank him for letting me know." Then they'd tell all their friends. Traffic would go WAY up. Steve would be rolling in the dough. But if Wabi-sabi does the same thing, he's bad? This kind of thing is only OK for Steve?

Now I agree that if you decide to set up an elect group of enlightened ones, and tell the truth only to those who have the cash, you're probably a morally corrupt con artist. But if you have a god-given gift, and decide to share it with the world to the greatest extent possible, and also use that sharing to support you and your family.... how is that different from what any of the rest of us do?

[Brutha]

But if you have a god-given gift, and decide to share it with the world to the greatest extent possible, and also use that sharing to support you and your family.... how is that different from what any of the rest of us do?

One point is that Steve doesn't try to make as much money as possible from his blog.

The other is that the rest of us doesn't claim to " the greatest spiritual truth ever known directly from God".

[maryelyn]

[QUOTE=RandomJohn;7691] -- the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all evil).

well, gosh.

i love money and i'm ALL GOOD!

[thef0x]

Originally Posted by Wabi-sabi

I don't believe in hell either so that senerio is not part of the marketing plan. We can be nice to each other here. Actually, I have found being nice to be a great business strategy just to past that along for free.

I find you're making a mockery of this place and I hate it. Please stop posting here.

[trekr5]

Wabi-sabi

Whatever it is you are selling I wouldn't buy. Your comments have left a very bad taste in the mouth.

If I had this knowledge I would give it away for free in order to help my fellow man. Help people to help themselves and everything else will follow.

When you attempt to manipulate people (which is essentially the question you are asking) you will easily be found out for the tin god that you are.

This forum is not for that sort of rubbish. Next thing you'll be touting your "divine knowledge" all over here attempting to sell it.

Ughhhhhhhhh!

[TheColonel]

Wabi, I respect your right to come in here and ask questions and learn from what people say.

You're not really my kind of guy, but not everybody is. And not everyone thinks I'm so great either.

I'm actually glad you posted what you did, because it opened up an interesting debate. I just don't agree with your philosophy.

It doesn't fit in with the tone of this forum, but that's alright. More power to you...

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Wabi-sabi

If you were given the greatest spiritual truth ever known directly from God, how would you market such knowledge for the highest possible gain?

This is an interesting and difficult question.

Firstly, I see a problem in that spirituality is an experience rather than knowledge per se; it's not directly transferable from person to person. If I did become party to divine knowledge the only way I could spread it is through words (and pictures etc.), and the words to convey that knowledge just don't exist!

Secondly, I believe that the greatest spiritual truth (if it could be spread) would result in global understanding and abundance, making the idea of 'marketing' kind of irrelevant.

Thirdly, the sort of person who has historically experienced spiritual revelation has been non-materialistic so would probably not pursue a marketting path; thus making the hypothetical meaningless.

[G. Gekko]

Originally Posted by Wabi-sabi

I have an idea for generating income using the spirituality industry. I have checked many of the spirituality websites and nothing the industry is currently doing is going to fit my idea. I will come up with something. I have no intention of fleecing anyone.

I'm sorry for the previous posts. I realize without knowing more about the idea know one is in a position to help me. Please don't judge me harshly. I'm not the only one wanting to cash in on spirituality.

Man! For spiritually enlightened people, some of these people can do some serious flaming! I'm sorry you're taking the heat for your free-market thinking dude.

Personally, if there is a God, I would think he/she would already know that you'll be trying to make money from the info that he's/she's has given you. And I wouldn't be so arrogant in thinking that God didn't know what he/she was doing, or to think that I could ever understand God's motives.

So that would mean that God chose you for a reason. So if you intend on selling the this "divine info," you were meant to do as such.

As for any advice. I would probably still give it to just a handful of people, in exchange for solid testimonies as to how their live has changed by knowing what you are selling. That way when you start to market this info you'll have good emotional stories. Heartfelt testimonials sell, trust me. I've used them before to sell things, and they work pretty well.

Oh, and if anyone wants to flame me on this. Don't expect any responses back. I'm just posting to help Wabi-sabi. I wouldn't waste my time with any negativity towards or from anyone.