Every Person is an Heir to Divine Wealth: A Case for Integral Human Development
True Wealth: More Than Money, A Sacred Inheritance
What if every person on Earth is actually an Ultra High Net Worth Individual (UHNWI) in God’s Kingdom? This bold idea reframes wealth not in terms of bank balances, but in terms of our divine inheritance – the natural, cultural, spiritual, and environmental riches bestowed upon all humanity. In this view, a newborn child in a remote village holds as much real wealth as a billionaire financier, because true wealth consists of the treasures of creation and community that fiat currency can never buy. These treasures include the gold and oil under the earth, the vast forests and fertile land, the biodiversity of flora and fauna, and the rich heritage of languages, arts, and wisdom carried by every tribe. Many spiritual traditions affirm that genuine prosperity is “multidimensional… rooted in ethics and spirituality” rather than material possessions (True wealth: Significance and symbolism). In other words, our “net worth” is measured in meaning and connection, not in dollars and cents.
Consider Papua New Guinea (PNG), a nation of eight million souls and hundreds of indigenous tribes. PNG is often labeled a “developing” country in monetary terms, yet it is extraordinarily wealthy in natural and cultural assets. Its mountains are laden with minerals, its jungles with rare biodiversity, and its communities with living traditions. Remarkably, about 97% of PNG’s land remains under customary ownership by local tribes and clans (Changing the Path to Development in Papua New Guinea). That means the vast majority of land is managed by indigenous communities, not owned by corporations or the state. In a very real sense, the tribes of PNG are the trustees of enormous wealth – land and resources that have been passed down as “divine inheritance” for generations. And PNG is not alone; across the world, indigenous peoples steward critical ecosystems (from the Amazon to the Congo to the Pacific islands), reminding us that the true gold of our planet lies in the ground we walk on and the cultures and relationships we build, rather than in paper money or digital accounts.
Colonization and the Loss of a Birthright
If every human being is born a co-heir of creation’s wealth, one may ask: Why do so many feel powerless or poor? The hard truth is that historical systems of power – particularly colonization and the imposed Western models of government and economy – have actively disconnected people from their divine inheritance. Colonial powers often regarded land and resources as commodities to extract, rather than sacred trusts to nurture for local well-being. In places like PNG (colonized by Germany, Britain, and later administered by Australia), colonial rule systematically undermined traditional structures that ensured communal stewardship. The Westminster system of governance, introduced under colonial rule, brought useful democratic institutions, but it also centralized authority in distant capitals and foreign norms, often sidelining indigenous wisdom. What was the effect? People were conditioned to depend on outside institutions and cash economies, losing confidence in their own heritage. Many communities went from being self-reliant custodians of abundance to being viewed – and even viewing themselves – as “underdeveloped” dependents in a global monetary system.
Colonization was not just a political or economic takeover; it was spiritual warfare. By design or effect, it severed the spiritual and cultural bonds that tied people to their inheritance. Ancestral lands that once guaranteed sustenance and identity were appropriated or commercialized. Ancient traditions that taught the sacred duty of caring for the earth were labeled “primitive” or suppressed. In the process, colonized peoples suffered what we might call “spiritual amnesia” – a forgetting of who they really are and what wealth they already have. As one observer poignantly noted, “...we are a species with amnesia”, often forgetting our roots and origins (Decolonizing Education in Papua New Guinea | Act Now!). This forgetfulness was no accident; it was encouraged by colonial systems that wanted subject peoples to adopt a new identity – that of compliant workers and consumers in service of an imperial economy. The education systems introduced, for example, trained local people for jobs in a colonial framework rather than empowering them to be owners of their land and destiny. Martyn Namorong, a PNG commentator, describes it this way: “The education system we have inherited from our colonial masters is modeled on the western Industrial Revolution” – a factory-line producing workers to generate profits and taxes, rather than free human beings fulfilling their own callings (Decolonizing Education in Papua New Guinea | Act Now!).
Under this paradigm, the rich holistic life that integral development envisions was replaced by a much narrower goal: survival within a cash economy dominated by others. Colonial authorities often intentionally dismantled indigenous economies (such as subsistence agriculture or local barter systems) to force dependence on imported goods and currency. They also implanted the Westminster model of government without adapting it to indigenous cultural contexts, leading to a disconnect between people and the new power structures ruling them. Personal and community wealth was redefined – no longer measured in land, kinship, and knowledge, but in wages, bank accounts, and titles to property that few locals initially had. In effect, the colonial system stole not only resources but also narratives: People were told their inheritance was worthless unless converted into cash, and that “real” progress meant adopting foreign ways. The result has been generations of people rich in heritage yet made to feel poor in a globalized economy.
Yet, the embers of the truth never entirely died. Colonization could not completely erase the innate knowledge that wealth is more than money. Indigenous elders continued to pass down the understanding that the land is life, that every child is born with a purpose and a stake in the community’s future, and that human dignity does not come from a salary or a title. This latent knowledge, though suppressed, set the stage for liberation movements – a yearning to reconnect to the lost inheritance.
Papua New Guinea’s Vision: Integral Human Development
When Papua New Guinea prepared for independence in the early 1970s, its visionary leaders knew that political freedom alone would not undo the damage of spiritual and economic subjugation. They sought not just nationhood, but a rebirth of their people’s identity and agency. The result was a remarkable principle enshrined as PNG’s First National Goal in the Constitution: Integral Human Development. This goal was a direct response to the colonial era, a pledge that PNG would chart a different course – one that reconnects every citizen to their God-given potential and inheritance.
What is Integral Human Development (IHD)? In simple terms, it is the holistic development of each person in all dimensions – physical, intellectual, social, economic, cultural, and spiritual. PNG’s Constitution declares, “We declare our first goal to be for every person to be dynamically involved in the process of freeing himself or herself from every form of domination or oppression so that each man or woman will have the opportunity to develop as a whole person in relationship with others.” (Decolonizing Education in Papua New Guinea | Act Now!). This profound statement, written at independence, shows PNG’s commitment to liberation and wholeness. Every man, every woman – every child of God – should be actively engaged in freeing themselves from any shackles (whether ignorance, poverty, or injustice) in order to grow as a “whole person” living in harmony with their community. IHD recognizes that a person is not truly free or wealthy unless all aspects of their humanity are nurtured. Education, health, cultural pride, spiritual wisdom, economic self-reliance – these must advance together, or development is incomplete.
Crucially, Integral Human Development in PNG was framed as a process of empowerment. The wording “dynamically involved in the process of freeing himself or herself” implies self-empowerment: people must be the agents of their own liberation (Decolonizing Education in Papua New Guinea | Act Now!). This harkens back to the idea that each person is an heir to a rich inheritance – it is theirs, so they must claim it. PNG’s founding fathers – leaders like Sir Michael Somare and Father John Momis – were deeply influenced by both indigenous Melanesian values and Christian social teaching. They saw political independence as an Exodus from colonial “bondage,” and they wanted their people to continue into a Promised Land of fulfilled potential. As a Catholic priest and co-author of the Constitution, John Momis explicitly linked national liberation with spiritual liberation: just as Christ the Redeemer frees people from bondage, so too must PNG’s development free its people from the “chains of colonization” in the secular world (Decolonizing Education in Papua New Guinea | Act Now!). The First Goal was, in essence, a decolonization manifesto – a call to restore PNG’s people to their rightful dignity and prosperity, as intended by God.
Over the past 50 years, PNG’s journey toward Integral Human Development has faced many challenges. The legacy of colonization – foreign economic domination, a Westminster-style bureaucracy, and a cash-based economy – has proven hard to shake off. Papua New Guineans have sometimes felt the sting of seeing their natural wealth benefit outsiders more than local villages, or seeing Western consumer culture erode traditional values. Yet, the vision of IHD has endured and is resurging with new intensity. It lives in community initiatives, in churches and civil society, and in the words of citizens who invoke the National Goals to hold leaders accountable. The flame of decolonization is alive. One powerful reminder has been PNG’s enduring communal land ownership: with 97% of land still in customary hands, the potential for grassroots wealth creation remains enormous (Changing the Path to Development in Papua New Guinea). As long as people have their land and identity, the inheritance is not lost – it can be revived.
Today, a new generation of Papua New Guineans is rediscovering that their birthright is not poverty but abundance. They echo the sentiment that “people are the country’s first and foremost resource”, emphasizing that development must invest in human beings and communities first (Creation of Papua New Guinea wealth - Post Courier). Misunderstanding this truth, as one PNG writer warned, leads to conflict and exploitation of natural endowments (Creation of Papua New Guinea wealth - Post Courier). In other words, if a nation forgets that its true wealth is its people and the land, it may fall into the trap of allowing outsiders or a small elite to drain its resources – a repeat of the colonial pattern. PNG’s founding dream was for equality, participation, and self-reliance to replace the colonial mentality of dependency. And as we shall see, this dream is very much alive as PNG reaches a historic milestone.
Jubilee 2025: A Golden Opportunity for Decolonization
Come September 16, 2025, Papua New Guinea will celebrate 50 years of independence – its Golden Jubilee. In the biblical tradition, a Jubilee year is a time of restoration: slaves are freed, debts forgiven, lands returned to their original stewards, and the community as a whole gets a fresh start. PNG’s leaders and visionaries are invoking this powerful concept as the nation approaches its 50th anniversary. They are asking, “What if this Jubilee wasn’t just a celebration… What if it became a complete system reset?” (#pngat50 #bottomupguarantee #publicprivatepartnership #jubileereset… | LinkedIn - Peter Babul |). In other words, how can PNG use the Jubilee window (Sept 16, 2025 – Sept 16, 2026) to kick-start a true decolonization of its economy and governance, fulfilling the promise of Integral Human Development?
One ambitious answer has emerged in the form of Papua New Guinea’s “Bottom-Up Guarantee Scheme” (BUGS) – a homegrown blueprint to reboot development from the grassroots. The premise of BUGS is bold: to “restore the sovereignty of all the Tribes of PNG” and ensure that development starts with the people at the village level and radiates upward, rather than the top-down approaches of the past (#pngat50 #bottomupguarantee #publicprivatepartnership #jubileereset… | LinkedIn - Peter Babul |). Instead of waiting for wealth to trickle down, PNG is designing mechanisms to make it flow from the bottom up – from clans and communities upward to the national economy. This aligns perfectly with the spirit of Jubilee (returning resources to the original stewards) and Integral Human Development (empowering every person to be an agent of change).
What does the Bottom-Up Guarantee Scheme entail? It is essentially a comprehensive framework, backed by public-private partnership, to unleash local development across all corners of the country. Some key features include:
PNG’s Bottom-Up Guarantee Scheme is essentially Integral Human Development in action. It aims for financial independence at both the national and personal level by reconnecting people to their inheritance. Instead of villagers feeling at the mercy of government handouts or foreign corporations, they are being positioned as partners and entrepreneurs in development. A clan can be a shareholder; a youth volunteer can become a project manager; a primary school can double as a community learning center. This is how you dismantle the dependency mentality that colonialism bred – by actually giving people the tools and responsibility to shape their own destiny. It is worth noting that this approach also resonates with global trends of sustainable development and inclusive growth. Around the world, experts talk about decentralization, stakeholder capitalism, and community-led development; PNG is taking concrete steps to live out those ideals through its customary structures. In doing so, it is spearheading a broader movement – one that other countries with indigenous populations and colonial histories are watching with interest. PNG’s Jubilee initiative says to the world: we are reclaiming our future by empowering our people, and you can too.
Stewards of Creation: Rekindling Our Children’s Identity
At the heart of this decolonization movement is a simple but profound truth: every child born on Earth is a steward of creation, a co-heir of God’s Kingdom. The purpose of PNG’s Integral Human Development vision – and indeed the purpose of the emerging global movement it inspires – is to help all people, especially the next generation, reclaim their true identity. This identity is not based on what job they will have, or how much money they will earn, or which degrees they acquire. It is based on the fact that they are children of God, born into a world of wonder and wealth that they are called to tend and improve.
Imagine if each child grew up deeply understanding: “I am an heir to this land, this water, this culture. I am as wealthy as the richest person on earth, because the same Creator’s gifts surround me. With that wealth comes a responsibility – to be creative, productive, and accountable in how I use it.” This is the mindset that Integral Human Development seeks to instill. It’s a mindset of dignity and duty. Dignity, because no one is a beggar in God’s eyes – we all have inherent worth and a share in the global inheritance. Duty, because being a co-heir means being a co-manager: we are entrusted to cultivate the garden of the world and not ruin it.
In practical terms, this means teaching our children and ourselves to see wealth where colonization taught us not to. It means showing a child in a remote PNG highlands village that the trees, soil, and rivers around them are more valuable than any foreign aid check – if they learn how to steward them wisely. It means explaining to youths in a bustling city that their cultural heritage and spiritual values are assets, not hindrances, in building a fulfilling life. This shift in consciousness is a form of liberation. No one can easily manipulate or exploit a people who know their ultimate wealth lies in their unity, their environment, and their faith. As Pope Francis has affirmed in Catholic social teaching, “the right to private property is always accompanied by the primary and prior principle of the subordination of all private property to the universal destination of the earth’s goods, and thus the right of all to their use” (Pope Francis, “Fratelli Tutti,” and the Universal Destination of Goods - Word on Fire). In plain language: the earth’s resources are meant for everyone’s benefit – all of us are entitled to share in them, as long as we also share the responsibility of caring for them. This principle, if taught to every child, creates true equality of spirit: no child would grow up thinking, “I come from nothing,” because they would know the Earth and its fullness is their inheritance.
To foster this understanding, it has been suggested that every parent, every family, become an educator in Integral Human Development. Parents are the first teachers, and in a way that no formal curriculum can, they can instill in their kids the unshakeable confidence of being a steward and co-heir. What might this look like? It could be as simple as a mother in Port Moresby running a small weekly “heritage and nature” workshop for her children – teaching them a traditional song, showing them how to plant a seed and watch it grow, and discussing why integrity and hard work matter. Or a father in New York City, originally from a Pacific Islander background, telling his kids stories of their ancestral village and taking them to volunteer in community gardens to learn respect for the earth. These family workshops on identity can be creative and fun, but their impact is deep: they anchor a child in a story of wealth and purpose, inoculating them against the lies of consumerism that say wealth is just money or that they have nothing of their own.
Beyond the family, imagine a network of global workshops and outreach programs dedicated to awakening this stewardship identity in young people everywhere. Such a movement is already taking shape, inspired by Papua New Guinea’s example. PNG’s National Volunteer Service, which is rallying volunteers to implement the Bottom-Up Scheme at home, could serve as a model for international volunteerism. Retired teachers, faith leaders, youth mentors, and development workers around the world could partner to host Integral Human Development workshops in every nation – from the smallest island states to the biggest urban centers. These workshops would share the core message: You are not “poor” – you are a co-heir of the planet. Your culture and environment are assets. You have the creativity and responsibility to develop them for the good of all. Participants would learn from case studies like PNG and other indigenous communities, share their own local challenges, and brainstorm solutions that put people and planet first. Such an exchange of knowledge would itself be an act of decolonization – breaking the mental borders imposed by history and finding unity in our common identity as children of God.
Crucially, this is not about rejecting all modern systems or isolating ourselves. It’s about transforming systems from the inside out with a new consciousness. When young people claim their status as UHNWI in God’s Kingdom, they will approach education differently (as a means to better serve their community, not just to get a job), they will approach careers differently (seeking work that enriches their environment and culture, not destroys it), and they will hold their leaders accountable. They become, in essence, servant-leaders and change agents, rather than passive consumers of whatever social order they inherit. This is the long-term fruit of Integral Human Development – a society where each person knows their worth and uses it for good.
A Global Call to Action: Awakening a New Generation of Stewards
The story of Papua New Guinea’s push for Integral Human Development is an inspirational beacon for the whole world. It carries a resonant message: now is the time to awaken our collective memory and reclaim our divine wealth. In PNG, the upcoming Jubilee year is a clarion call to action – a once-in-a-lifetime chance to set things right and build a nation that truly reflects the Kingdom of God on earth, where every person has dignity and no one is left out of the feast of prosperity. But one need not be in PNG to heed this call. Wherever you are, you too can be part of this global decolonization movement.
What can you do? First, embrace the mindset of an heir and steward. Recognize the “ultra-high net worth” within yourself and others – the talents, the passions, the heritage, the environment around you. Reject the narrative of lack and competition, and replace it with a narrative of abundance and cooperation under God’s provision. This shift in thinking is powerful; it changes how we treat our neighbors and how we value our surroundings.
Second, educate and inspire those around you – especially the youth. If you are a parent, start the conversation in your home about true wealth and purpose. If you are a teacher or community leader, incorporate these ideas into your lessons and projects. You can organize small study groups or “stewardship workshops” in your community. Use PNG’s example as a case study: discuss how a nation rich in resources is striving to ensure that richness benefits all its people, and ask what lessons apply to your own community or country. Remember, education in this sense is not about formalities – it’s about awakening hearts and minds. It can be done through storytelling, music, art, and hands-on activities that reconnect people to nature and to each other.
Third, join or support broader initiatives that align with Integral Human Development. This could mean partnering with indigenous rights movements, environmental conservation efforts, or faith-based organizations that promote holistic development. PNG’s National Volunteer Service and similar organizations welcome support and collaboration. Perhaps you have skills in business, law, medicine, or engineering – consider volunteering some time (on-site or remotely) to mentor a community project either in PNG during the Jubilee push or in underserved communities in your own region. The idea is to volunteer your expertise to empower others, rather than create dependency. If you lack time, even spreading the word on social media, sharing articles like this one, or fundraising for community-driven projects can have a ripple effect.
Finally, advocate for change at higher levels. Use your voice as a citizen to urge your local and national governments to prioritize people and planet over short-term profits. Policies that secure land rights for local communities, that support cooperative businesses, that invest in education and healthcare for all – these are policies that reflect the truth that everyone should share in God’s abundance. When enough citizens carry the message, leaders will listen. After all, the momentum in PNG began with its people recalling the wisdom in their Constitution and demanding its fulfillment. Likewise, we can hold our leaders to account that governance systems (be it Westminster-style or otherwise) must serve, not sever, our connection to our inheritance.
In conclusion, Integral Human Development is more than a policy – it’s a movement of the spirit. It declares that every person is royalty in God’s eyes, endowed with gifts and value beyond measure. It recognizes the wounds of history – the way colonization stole so much – but it does not dwell in victimhood. Instead, it lights a candle of hope and says: “We remember who we are now.” Like the prodigal son in scripture who came to his senses and returned to his father’s house, people everywhere are waking up from a long slumber of forgetfulness. They are coming home to their Father’s kingdom – which was here all along, in the birdsong, in the forests, in the love of family, in the dignity of honest work, in the sharing of a meal.
The call to action is clear: Let us establish Integral Human Development workshops and forums worldwide – in schools, churches, villages, and online – to equip a new generation of stewards. Let these workshops be joyful and inclusive, drawing on local cultures and universal truths. Through them, may we raise up young women and men who know that they know that they know: they are co-heirs of creation. With that confidence, they will innovate solutions to poverty, heal the environment, and build peace between cultures. They will be, like PNG’s visionary citizens, living examples of decolonization and divine inheritance restored.
The time has come for all of us to step into our birthright. No matter who you are or where you come from, you are an essential part of God’s great estate – as rich as any king, and as responsible as any servant. Let’s join hands across continents and commit to fostering Integral Human Development for every person. Together, we can ignite a global movement of UHNWI in God’s Kingdom who will ensure that the wealth of this earth – natural, cultural, spiritual – is preserved and multiplied for generations to come. This is our Jubilee. This is our moment to remember who we truly are and to build a world worthy of our children. Our time is now – let’s rise up from the bottom up, and reclaim the future as co-heirs in God’s abundant Kingdom. (#pngat50 #bottomupguarantee #publicprivatepartnership #jubileereset… | LinkedIn - Peter Babul |)