The Limitations of Eckhart Tolle

I am a big fan of Eckhart Tolle.  Often, if I’m feeling low or confused, I read his books or watch him on a video.  His ability to return my focus towards the spiritual realm and ultimate reality (the only thing that doesn’t change in life), always calms me down.  However, I do believe that the advice offered by Eckhart Tolle and other writers focused on spiritual reality leaves a gap in managing life for most people.

Assuming you don’t have so much money that you don’t need a job or to manage your finances intelligently, and assuming you have responsibilities such as a family, there is another (probably lower) aspect of reality that we need to learn skills to negotiate effectively.  Namely, how to keep a roof over our head and structure a career that we enjoy in the process.

When I was a diplomat, I sometimes found myself in very stressful situations working with people who were not terribly enlightened or who were lazy or even dishonest.  Perhaps if I were as enlightened as the Buddha, the perspective of Eckhart Tolle would have been enough for me to know what to do in challenging situations.  However, I am not that wise.  I needed more practical techniques for how to deal with a non-performing employee.  For example, how do you fire someone for the sake of your organization while preserving that person’s dignity and avoiding getting sued?  This knowledge is not to be found in Eckhart Tolle.

Similarly, I believe most of us need to learn practical skills to manage our careers, finances, investments, and more.  This is why I created MightyInvestor.com–to teach YOU the skills you need.

I will continue to read, learn from, and enjoy the likes of Eckhart Tolle, but I have realized that I need practical knowledge like how to invest, how to market on the internet, and other hard-nosed life skills.  It is important to recognize this.  Yes, follow the Dao and let the unseen hand guide you.  But, also, acquire the down-to-earth skills needed to survive and flourish in life.

I’m quite curious to hear what others think about this post.  So please do comment!