Prologue: I figure that if Barack Obama could get himself elected, surely I could start a blog, something I doubted I would ever do one short year ago. But today the world, and we are different.

I just came across the book, Spiritual Economics, by Eric Butterworth (and reviewed by Brian Johnson of Philosophers Notes) which provides a wonderful frame for thinking about the mindset that President-elect Obama’s administration ushers in.

“Prosperity comes for the Latin root which translates literally ‘according to hope’ or ‘to go forward hopefully’.  Thus it is not so much a condition in life as an attitude toward life. The truly prosperous person is what psychologist, Rollo May, calls ‘the fully functioning person.” (Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics)

With the dawning of a new era in American and world history following the election of President-elect  Obama, we usher in a time of and for prosperity.  If there’s one thing Barack Obama offered us from the beginning of his campaign, it was the promise of prosperity through the affirmation and practice of hope.

I agree with Rollo May that a person - and a nation- without hope are not fully functioning. In terms of the immense human talent and capital seen in every swath of our society, the United States has not been fully functional in realizing its potential since its inception.  Spiritual economics, based in hope and prosperity for all, must and will undergird the recovery of our economy from one of fear, greed, and predatory practices to a new understanding of a truly fully functioning economy, sustained by fully functioning persons.

My intent for this blog is that it become part of the conversation on how we can create prosperity and optimal health, a la “full functioning”, for individuals, groups, organizations, and the planet.

Today, I feel prosperous in a whole new way, a way in which anything is indeed possible. How about you?