What is capital?

Capital is a word with many meanings, uses and definitions. In this case capital means wealth. This use of the word capital generally connotes one specific kind of wealth: financial wealth. It is important to realize that financial capital is only one kind among many.

Capitalism: Our current paradigm favors a few forms of capital in particular, namely; financial capital, professional capital, and material capital. What this means is that society encourages us to build and prioritize these forms of capital over others.

◈ The reason for this is that we live in a capitalist society, meaning that our society’s primary values are profit and work: these build financial wealth. With such a narrow set of values and priorities, our country’s system alienates many people who cannot build financial wealth, or who do not thrive in profit and power oriented forms of work.

◈ Furthermore, although there are people who can build financial wealth and thrive in profit and power driven work, they often struggle to find contentment and satisfaction in their lives. This is because their focus on a certain kind of wealth has hindered their development of other kinds of wealth: they may have a nice home, but they may not have rich relationships or a fulfilling spiritual life.

By being aware of what society values and recognizing the limitations and ramifications of that, we can hold more firmly to and prioritize our own values and build a broader, sturdier, richer form of wealth in our lives.