Spirituality and the Copyright

 
The present times witness the rise of a man-made construct called the copyright and its related devices - the brand name, trade or service marks. Its pervasiveness covers the realm of spirituality. The questions commonly raised by sincere spiritual seekers and workers are: “How can something coming from God be subject to private ownership? Why do I have to pay someone in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment?” A clearer understanding of the copyright concept may perhaps enlighten us all on these perplexing issues.

In general, the world functions in a market economy where the law of supply and demand determines the value of goods. When agriculture was the dominant source of economic activity, land being a limited resource was of prime value. Although God created land for the benefit of all mankind, the concept of private ownership developed because of market realities. Anyone who owned large tracts of land controlled the economy and consequently the political and social aspects of the community. Conquest and inheritance gave way to a peaceful and civil system of exchanging ownership, and thus a legal document called the title was devised.

As world trade emerged into a lucrative economic activity, the need to finance large amounts of mercantile stock while simultaneously reducing the risks of voyage in the high seas led to the creation of shares of stock. Subsequently, the industrial revolution utilized the same mechanism to generate capital. The demand for capital by burgeoning industries led to the evolution of the capital stock certificate whose value was determined by the vagaries of the market economy. Ownership of capital became a new tool and measure of wealth and thus the stock and bond certificates assumed the role of legal title and efficient means of ownership transfer.

It came to pass that a new commodity of value emerged in the market. This commodity to a large extent did not possess any physical attributes and was effectively a creation of the mind. The rise of the information and communication age transformed intellectual properties into goods for the mass markets. How information is expressed and how a name is associated to certain consumable attributes became marketable commodities. Thus legal constructs such as copyright, brand name, trademark and service mark emerged to establish ownership. As in the case of land and stocks, stealing or misuse of intellectual property are offences punishable by law.

Let us now dwell on the matter of spirituality.

When a copyright is attached to a book on spirituality for instance, it is not ownership of the universal truths that is being claimed, but how that truth is expressed and communicated. It is the artistic craftsmanship and skill of the writer in conveying the spiritual message that is the object of the commercial consideration. If an ancient spiritual practice is modified and improved into a more effective and efficient spiritual technology, the innovation is subject to copyright. The years, effort and cost spent to research, experiment and market establish legal franchise over the intellectual property. Monetary value is determined by the cost to produce or by the demand of the market. Copyright infringement effectively is an act of stealing and more often for financial gain.

In this age of consumerism, brand names have great value and zealously nurtured and protected. They can either evoke positive images of quality and excellence or negative associations of inferiority and unacceptability. Because of the images they project, brands need to be enhanced and protected.

Thoughts are powerful. There is an ancient saying that everything begins with a thought. A repeated thought becomes an attitude. A repeated attitude becomes behaviour. A repeated behaviour becomes the character of an individual and the collective characters of individuals make up the kind of society they live in.

To prove how powerful a thought can be, one can do the following simple exercise. Sit still and close your eyes. Imagine a sour lemon. Imagine yourself chewing the sour lemon. Observe your body’s reaction. Did your mouth start salivating at the thought of the lemon? Did your lips twitch at the sourness of the lemon? They occur even without the presence of a physical lemon. Just a mere thought of a lemon triggered the conditioned responses.

When one buys a product, the natural behaviour is to look for brand names that are associated with quality and excellence. Signature brands like Versace evoke images of opulence, style and class. Consumers will buy and pay more for a signature brand than for an unknown product of equal quality. That is why companies invest tremendous amounts of money to promote, enhance and protect brand names. Through repeated thought images projected in mass media, people are conditioned to behave and respond favourably to a brand. When big conglomerates take over other companies, a major valuation consideration is the brand franchise established through years of goodwill. Names on spiritual products and technology also have brand power. The name of the teacher is a brand that evokes the nature and quality of his teachings and practices. If nurtured properly, the commercial value of spiritual brand names can be sustained indefinitely.

Discussing spirituality in commercial terms may sound like an irreverent and profane treatment of the sacred and profound. The truth of the matter is “money is spiritual.” Money is nothing but concrete energy that opens doors and makes life easier for all of us. It makes spirituality easily accessible to all by quickening the long and arduous process. Business concepts like copyright and brand names are in fact applications of principles that utilize illusion and glamour to spread spirituality. Spirituality does not only satisfy the soul, it is also a financially rewarding experience.

Laoshi

24 May 2010