While many have been left behind by the recent economic boom, even among those whose incomes have risen, many feel that the quality of their lives has actually deteriorated or only marginally improved. Despite the longest period of sustained economic expansion in the postwar era, the lowest level of unemployment in decades and a 45 percent increase in consumption levels in last twenty years, the number of Americans who describe themselves “very happy” peaked in 1957!

The Tao of Abundance examines the reasons behind this contradiction: Why in the midst of the unprecedented material affluence are so many troubled by a nagging sense of lack? Boldt argues that in defining abundance in abstract economic terms we have overlooked important human factors related to quality of life. Drawing on eight principles of Taoist philosophy, he explores spiritual insights and psychological attitudes that will move us toward an experience of real abundance. Along the way, he exposes the core beliefs that comprise a psychology of lack and shows how we can overcome them once and for all.

The Tao of Abundance also addresses social and economic factors that contribute to an individual and collective experience of lack, and offers suggestions for how we can mitigate these effects in our own lives. This is not a book of spiritual platitudes divorced from the realities of our everyday lives, but one that demonstrates the relevance of ancient Taoist insights to enriching our lives today. The exercises at the end of the book assist readers in making the attitudinal, lifestyle, and behavioral changes that will bring a greater experience of real abundance into all aspects of their lives.