On my way back home one afternoon, I read this on a jumbotron.
「 “ There’s 110,570 poor population and the number decreases from last year's 117, 360 population….” 」
First, that’s a lot of people. I am sure if you’re reading this from Europe or any parts of the world with less population than we do, you can imagine having a dedicated single city filled with people categorized as poor. To think that we have such a huge poor population in this place was a fact that was quite mind blowing to me. It hit me hard.
What intrigued me about that number was the fact that we easily forget these things. You see, I grew up surrounded by people who have this mindset, “ If it doesn’t happen to you, us, or our next of kin and family members. Then, it doesn’t happen”. A lot of us live as if our scarcity and abundance are two different things. What I’ve come to learn is that they are yin and yang, complementing one another.
Some of us don’t wake up thinking about scarcity a lot. You and I probably have unlimited internet, food, water and worldly desire within your grasp. Some of us probably aren’t as worried as those 110,570 on how to pay our bills. Yet, we still wanted more and more. We even have the audacity thinking that things are scarce. Well… no. They are not.
That figure on that jumbotron, invited me to reflect and think of all the abundance I’ve taken for granted.
Unknowingly, I did a little experiment with myself. I signed up for a language learning application just because a friend referred me to. The free version of the app gave me a 90 minute chance to talk to others or interact with people. When I had that 90 minute limit, I was focused on what I wanted to do. Time was precious and I tried to make it count. However, a few weeks after signing up, I decided to get the VIP version which enabled me to talk for an unlimited amount of time. And you can guess, rather than making it count, I drift away here and there unfocused on my original purpose. Some conversations were great though but those great ones happen under 90 minutes.
This is why I keep going back to the core idea of minimalism but more importantly,I started seeing it more as a bridge that connects scarcity and abundance. Just as that language app situation above, you see, with minimalism I could have been more intentional about it. I could use all the other perks that come with being unlimited to actually boost my learning. Rather than talking aimlessly , I could opt for more quality conversations.
There are many things in life falling under that same scenario. I am sure at one point you will experience those too.
More often than not, I see people associating abundance with good qualities. The truth is, they can be a challenge in itself. Think about the abundance of time, money, food, even our living spaces. Like sure, they can be great but they also come with challenges just as scarcity would. In the end, it is what bridges you to connect the two that will determine a lot of the outcome of your life. The lifestyle and philosophy that you choose to live with.
Writing this, I gained clarity. There were many things in life I’ve taken for granted. Things that may never come back to me that I took for granted. But it’s life and it’s all a lesson.
About half of the world population lives in poverty. And about 10% in extreme poverty 🌎 it's in our hands to make this better.
Hi, i hope that you are doing good!
Was good read you!
I have little knowledge about what is the minimalism like filosophi but i can imagine. I think that is similar to frugality or stoicism. Actually we come to a social system that has to do with economics and politics so many people don't have consciousness about that and for the most part, those of us who have it can do nothing but change ourselves.
It's definitely similar to stoicism and maybe a bit of frugality but it definitely encompasses a lot of things. And yeah, you're right in the end we can only change ourselves.
It's a good thought and can help realization for some people. @macchiata Also, another factor is contentment against wanting more that sometimes lead to greed and affects the poor which causes scarcity for them.
That's basically it.
I concur with that.
Falling deeper into my minimalist way of life has made me realise that they are complementary, indeed.
What I've also realised is that people don't even take the time to analyse which one they fall into, but instead go through the motions or live on autopilot.
Cherish the good memories, and as you've said, the lessons learned will be useful in other situations.:)
That's so true! A lot of us live on autopilot and rarely ever question it. I suppose,I question a lot of things 😄 too much sometimes.
Having stability and balance is a difficult task, sometimes one does not have the necessary tools to carry it out, however we ourselves seek and give meaning to what makes us happy and if one is happy then any external or economic factor does not have much influence.
One of the things I have discovered in life is that he who has, wants to have much more. Acquiring things becomes a vice. They have a poverty of mind. You don't really need it, but you want it. That's the kind of poverty that also has to end. Greetings
yep! That poverty mindset is so true. It's like regardless how much we have, if we still have that poverty mindset, we're still going to be poor.
Abundance is quite the destructive thing. It makes me numb and lazy, takes away the edge, makes life too comfortable and destroy any progress. I try to artificially create scarcity, for example by organizing my time very strictly. There is not time to procrastinate if I have to be finished with work by 12pm in order to start cooking, eating and taking a nap. But that's me. Other people seem to like it. I prefer to stay on edge to keep being creative.
I couldn't agree more. It works the same for me. I mean, who wouldn't want abundance? Don't get me wrong but scarcity keeps us real and somehow more creative.
@macchiata, I paid out 0.591 HIVE and 0.148 HBD to reward 6 comments in this discussion thread.