Thursday, February 26, 2009

Poverty (Un)Consciousness

By Antonio Lopez / Source: RealitySandwich.com

Due to the unfolding financial crisis, it appears that Americans are on their way to joining the majority of the world in terms of economic access and privilege.

As Americans we consume and pollute way too much, so this is a good thing. Still, this is not happening without considerable pain and difficulty for many people.

But you can survive. Having seen in Havana what Cubans did to maintain their lives and dignity after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent “special period” that followed, it amazed me how music and culture can be such a resilient tool of empowerment. This doesn’t mean that the option of black markets and prostitution were also ignored.

Everyone has a choice how to respond to his or her environmental condition. You can be “disturbed,” to borrow from ecology, but you still can choose how to respond. Your response will depend on the level of open architecture maintained in your state of being.


Bush Sr. once said the American way of life is not negotiable. This kind of mentality will not handle the disturbance of crashing markets very well. That’s why Americans, who are accustomed to a certain lifestyle, should reconsider what it means to be “wealthy.”

I’m a fan of Lynne Twist, author of the Soul of Money, who argues that “abundance” is the wrong goal. She says it’s better to be “sufficient.” I find this an aspiration that is in keeping with justice/equity and ecological concerns. It’s in keeping with Gandhi’s notion that the world has enough for our needs, but not enough for our greed.


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