Thoughts on How to Measure Wealth and Success

(Minghui.org) Almost everyone wants to be successful, but how does one define success?

We can start with wealth. According to Forbes, the richest man in the world since May 2024 has been Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. He became the first person in the world to exceed a net worth of $400 billion in December 2024. Following Musk, the world’s billionaire list continues with Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon), Larry Ellison (CTO of Oracle), Mark Zuckerberg (CEO of Facebook), and Bernard Arnault (CEO of LVMH).

Ranking the top billionaires is not straightforward, and a significant portion of their wealth is based on the market values of their companies. Since stock prices change all the time, the ranking also changes frequently.

But, is money the only criterion wealth should be measured by?

Wealth Beyond Money

Some assets are very precious, but their market values cannot be calculated. In fact, many people believe that the British royal family is the wealthiest, as it owns many palaces and public lands that are not for sale. It also has the Royal Hippodrome and 12 nautical miles of seabed along the coast, not to mention the countless rare treasures collected and inherited by successive monarchs as the largest colonial empire.

For example, these treasures include the 530.2-carat Star of Africa diamond set on the British Royal Scepter. They also include the 105.6-carat Koh-I-Noor, originally from India, also part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Any of these could be considered invaluable because they are so special.

Wealth Beyond Material Possessions

Sometimes wealth extends beyond money and material possessions. American psychologist Abraham Maslow identified several types of innate human needs. Maslow’s hierarchy starts from physiological needs, safety, and love and belonging, and it goes to esteem and self-actualization. Similarly, Chinese artist Feng Zikai also believed that people have three levels of need: material, intellectual, and spiritual.

This reminds me of Shen Yun, a top-level performing arts group that tours around the world and displays authentic traditional Chinese culture. With exquisite art from dance and its unique orchestra that brings Western and Chinese music into harmony, to beautiful costumes and dynamic backdrops, the show has brought once-in-a-lifetime experiences to audience members around the world.

For example, Daniel Herman, Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic, found that Shen Yun performances bring great hope, “a hope that must not die.” “There is a massive power in this that can embrace the world, and I think it's a positive barrier against evil, violence, lies, falsehood, and that this is the way,” he said.

After watching a performance in Phoenix, Arizona, TV and radio host Steve Kates was deeply touched because the show “talks about inspiration about how we all should be able to learn how to get along together on this planet.” In contrast, many people today focus on technology. “And all the desire for having money as maybe the god. That’s not it. It should be more about spirituality, more about wanting to help individuals. People need to come and see and experience Shen Yun…breathe it in, because it’s something good for the body, it’s good for the mind, and above all, it’s good for the soul,” he said.

So, how much value has Shen Yun created?

“The Highest Humanity Has to Offer”

Not everyone has the same perception, however. The New York Times recently published several articles that cast Shen Yun in a negative light. After working hard to study the financial statements of Shen Yun and show sponsors, its reporters concluded that Shen Yun had accumulated $266 million USD in assets in less than twenty years. It then used this number to mislead readers and discredit Shen Yun.

If the purpose is to understand Shen Yun’s value, it does not have to be this complicated. The billionaires mentioned above each created an enterprise or platform that serves customers and meets their needs. That is why they could accumulate a large amount of assets over time. Since Shen Yun’s mission is to revive traditional Chinese culture and bring people hope, no market value would be too high given its impact.

“I’m delighted that accessible stories of the highest that humanity has to offer are—it’s possible to show the best of human nature and also the incorporation of the divine and human,” remarked Hollywood actor Adam Croasdell after watching a Shen Yun performance. “Everybody that I saw and heard afterward were delighted.”

Nicky Billou, the founder of eCircle Academy in Toronto, had similar feelings. “The underlying theme of the entire evening was love, joy, and peace. You could feel it, I could feel it in the entire performance. And yet, there were aspects of the performance that were high energy and beautifully inspiring as well,” he said watching the show. “And you could see on their faces, this joy, this love, this fire, this passion. It was magnificent.”

These testimonies show the power of Shen Yun and the positive impact it has on people. By presenting traditional culture with high artistic values, it has brought people peace, harmony, inspiration, hope, and much more.

Needless to say, Shen Yun is a success. How much is its value? To me, just like the common good, it is priceless.