MONEY -- Part 1

Be honest: Don't we all see life this way far more than we should

When I was working for a non-profit some years ago, one of my colleagues, in the course of a mini training, asked me: "Do you believe that money is the root of all evil?"

I don't remember my exact words at the time but I'm sure they were along the lines of what I'd say now: "No, I don't. I believe that people are the root of all evil."

After all, without us, money would be powerless. Money doesn't start wars, run away from the poor, or put on a suit and lobby politicians.

It doesn't take itself on excessive shopping sprees or hedge, bob and weave until it makes financial institutions collapse, ruining countless lives. Human beings do that.

I am concerned with global poverty. But it has its roots in us. All change has to start with the grassroots. The consumers of the Western World. Our own attitudes to money; and our attitudes to "our" institutions.

This first blog post on money is about the former, obviously. I'll look at the latter next time.

For my part, I have resolved to spend less, give more, recycle what I can, and be more thrifty with everything from air-conditioning to gasoline to water to food. I will do everything to avoid giving my dollars to the worst corporations and I will be more of an activist in the realm of poverty and hunger. I've been doing these things to some degree for years; but I can do them better. And I will.

Let me ask you:

-- Do you have more than you really need? Much more?
-- Do you indulge in spending sprees or one-off splurges that are like a sugar high but don't really give more meaning to your life; more peace of mind?
-- Are you wasteful?
-- Have you ever taken the time to look at poverty and wealth distribution information?
-- Do you stretch your budget through over-consumption rather than charity?
-- Do you pester the politicians for more humanitarian tax reforms, welfare reforms, tougher laws on corporations, and increased aid to the poor (be they in the Third World that exists within our shores or beyond them)?
-- Have you ever gone to corporate watchdog sites and learned about the horrendous crimes and lies of the biggest corporations?
-- Have you ever gone to a rally or made some overt action to protest the cruel distribution of wealth on this planet? Protest labor exploitation? Protested anything that would help with any of these sub-issues?
-- When is enough enough?

Coming up with the wrong answers to these questions doesn't necessarily make one a bad person. We've all been negligent. But it does make us culpable. There's no way around it. A big part of the blame is squarely on our shoulders. And to do nothing makes us an integral part of the problem. Without our over-consumption and social apathy these wrongs could not exist. We have the numbers. We should be using them.

I ask this question a lot (of myself as well): How would you feel if it was you?

* If it was you and your family who were hungry and cold?
* If it was you watching your children starve?
* If it was you in desperate need of just a little help to save your health, your life?

Would your attitude to money be different? Be honest. Of course it would!

As resources dwindle and greed thrives, as dumb consumption increases and Third World sweatshops make that possible, and as "globalization" and its tools (NAFTA, GATT, WTO, IMF, World Bank etc.) grip the globe, there is only one logical conclusion: If we don't change our attitudes, our habits, and our level of commitment to others, we'll all go down together.

The planet's resources are finite. And yet there are enough of the basics for everyone, for an indefinite time, if distributed humanely. Still, tens of thousands starve every day. It comes back to us.

The time for change is incredibly overdue. The jaws of consequence are gaping in front of us. Let's fire up the last eco-friendly bus to a sane solution.

Take care,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at CHILD HUNGER -- THE SCOURGE OF THE PLANET