Money and the Meaning of Life [Audio Cassette]

The structure of the book is somewhat like a quilt pieced together of various subject matter, ideas and reflections about money. I had to make an effort to stay with the flow when I couldn't see where it was going. Perhaps this was a strategy the author choose to use and the one that kept me reading to the end.

It's not a book I was able to rush through because as I read the truth of what he was saying presented me with quite an accurate and painful reflection of my own behavior and beliefs about money. I could only read a little bit of the truth at a time because as I recall hearing once, the truth will set you free but first it's going to just about kill you. I had to let it kill me a little bit at a time.

An excellent companion piece to this book and one that Needleman cites is by Lewis Hyde entitled, "The Gift."

But when the author in Chap 20 says money can buy you everything even love, I was vexed. Or that ethics and morality can be bought and sold like a pair of sneakers. And that unless we buy them, we cannot understand the things we can't buy! So if you're middle class forget understanding higher concepts, you don't got the bucks to buy enlightenment. Hmmm sounds like Sam Walton meets Eckhart meets The Fellowship of Friends. Everything is reduced to transactionalism. No meanings or values only cost.
Your teacher is the Benjamin Franklin in your wallet.

It's odd that Needleman promotes a idea which would condemed by any authentic spiritual tradition in the world.

Overall Prof. Needleman did a good job, but just barely, his style of writing is as usual, excellent. But content wise it is not up to par with his earlier works on philosophy or religion.
The target audience which again seems to be well off folks with guilt trips, yuppies, dot commies, etc. Ought to love it. But start at chapter 20 cause that's where it gets interesting.

If you work hard at a blue collar job skip it, this book is not meant for you. Only wealthy types with spiritual pretensions need apply, since this book is partly derived from seminars he gives around the country based on similar topics for corporate clients.

He also skipped on the psychopathology of wealth and money obsession. Why are so many of the new wealthy class, anti-charity and greedy to the point of amoral? Witness the fraud on Wall Street, how money corrupted our democracy, Dot com swindles or the S&L scandals. He's seems to ignore the corrosive effect money has on people also or why it's worshipped so much in our society. Money counts not character or essence.

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