We aren’t going to be able to shift our current ways of producing and consuming unless we take a look at the underlying value systems that cause us to participate in and even defend what we currently have.
Now, I realize I may be getting a little ahead of myself here.
I understand that in a lot of ways, many of us don’t really see a problem with our current methods of production and consumption.
Many of us don’t see a problem with the way we are taught to view and categorize ‘abundance’ and success. We don’t take issue with the narratives we are being handed about what it means to be successful, what it means to be ‘doing enough’ and what is respectable in terms of what we ‘do’ in the world and what we ‘have’.
For the next few posts, I’m going to be attempting to argue for the fact that the ways we are being taught to look at ourselves, what makes us ‘good’, what makes a good life, what’s required to feel safe/satisfied and how all of this ties into our feelings of security, safety and ability to be connected to others, is really messing with our view of what is and isn’t enough in terms of labor and those things we buy in exchange for our labor.
I’m going to attempt to make an argument for the idea that if we were to shift our fundamental views of what’s important, what we should be prioritizing in life, what actually matters in terms of helping us feel satisfied and safe AND in terms of what’s actually sustainable and healthy for us as a species sharing this planet with all that we share it with, we may find a way of life that actually feels much BETTER than the one that we have now.
I’m also going to argue for the idea that trying to change our definitions of abundance, spiritual abundance, what is and isn’t enough, what is and isn’t ethical and what is and isn’t sustainable WITHOUT addressing our foundational beliefs is likely always going to be an exercise in futility - because if you don’t change the root chances are you’re just going to end up with the same tree over and over again.
So let’s look at why our current ways of defining abundance may be toxic, the beliefs that underlie those definitions and how shifting those beliefs can help us create something that may end up serving all of us much better in the long run.
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We Are Separated From The Realities Of Our Choices
We’ve talked a lot around here about how our current culture is living in a way that is leading us to both produce and consume at rates that aren’t healthy or sustainable for us as individuals, us as a society or for the planet that we live on and all the other life forms we share it with.
We’ve looked at how much what we have now relies heavily upon exploitative practices and ways of doing things that require that some people suffer, struggle and go without in ways that are deeply negatively impacting their quality of life, so that a few can have so much more than they actually need.
SO much of this is NOT because people are actually inherently selfish, uncaring or otherwise KNOWING that they are causing harm and choosing to continue on with it anyway - but rather it’s because the ways that our system are set up means that so much of the time we simply don’t see the impact that our ways of working and consuming are having on the world around us.
We are living in times where we are so isolated from the actual outcomes of our actions that it’s easy to literally NOT KNOW that you are participating in systems that are causing harm if you’re not actively going out and LOOKING - and even then it can be difficult to find and see the true information because trails have been so well covered.
Compartmentalization is a massive part of our system - a massive part of what keeps it going how it is because if it were to be more transparent the likelihood that there wouldn’t be a massive uprising demanding change is very small.
This compartmentalization of our habits is built into our system in many ways - from the fact that we often have no idea what the process is from getting our food from seed to table, we have no idea the manufacturing process that occurs in order to create our clothing, our furniture, our cars, and all the other items we use on a regular basis, the fact that we have little to no connection to all of the people that are in the chain from of creating goods from the natural resources they originate from and the fact that we often have no idea even WHAT natural resources are being used, how those resources are being treated and whether or not they are being used in any kind of sustainable method.
We often have no idea what it takes to transport all the moving parts of the creation of an item and what it takes to move those created goods out to us for consumption.
We often have no idea about the greater impact the things we consume and use on a daily basis have on the environment, animals, plants, air and water that are involved in their creation process.
We often have no idea about the waste that is then created in the process of harvesting and manufacturing and then in the post consumption/use phase.
We are literally totally separated from what it takes to make, transport, and dispose of the things we literally use on a daily basis.
It makes sense that we would have no idea the impact we’re having on the planet and the people we share it with on a day to day basis because the BIGGEST impact we have is in the things we choose to consume and produce and for the most part, we simply have no idea what goes into the whole chain of that process.
Along with that, we tend to be totally disconnected from the realities of what it takes for us to be in constant production mode either.
Personal Pain = Personal Blame
So much of the time when we are living our lives in a way that aligns with what society wants us to do - we ARE overdoing it in terms of what’s actually healthy for the individual body/mind/spirit.
We are seeing unprecedented rates of anxiety, depression, overwhelm, burnout and other physical and mental consequences of over work and under rest - and rather than being able to identify this as being a result of doing too much, pushing too hard, running too fast and having too many obligations - we are being told that we are weak, lazy, broken or otherwise that we need some sort of ‘fix’ - because we ‘should’ be able to keep up, and if we can’t this is CLEARLY a flaw in us.
This is because we are living in a culture that prioritizes ‘personal choice’ as being THE THING that determines our life outcomes - and this in of itself is an indoctrination. It is a way of keeping us from ever looking at the SYSTEMIC issues that are being caused by our societal set up, and how they are playing into the outcomes we experience in life. The reality is, our lives are a mix of BOTH personal choice AND systemic process - and if we ignore one and only focus on the other, we are never going to be able to effectively solve our problems. This means that we will be stuck in blame, shame and guilt - trying to figure out ‘what we are doing wrong’ at all times, even when the actual CAUSE of our issues is something beyond our control.
Us living in this state is great for the systems - it means they can maintain themselves while we run around in a never ending loop of self improvement that goes nowhere - but it’s terrible for US because it means we are always going to be stuck where the answers to our problems don’t lie in personal choice, but in systemic change.
We are continually being sold that EVERYTHING is possible for EVERY individual if they just make the right choices - and this feels good on its face - but it’s a lie. And by not seeing this lie, this means we can continue to be sold more and more things to ‘fix ourselves’ that never work, and it means that we will NEVER see the true cause and demand that society changes - meaning those who are profiting off of our current systems get richer and richer while we stay stuck struggling without knowing why - and then blaming ourselves and investing MORE in the system to try to get out of the system.
Many people live in a situation where overdoing it is a requirement for keeping their heads above water. Where they HAVE to work several jobs in order to make ends meet and to have enough to have a roof over their head and to have food on the table.
This is deeply painful.
Not seeing how what we consume and produce is made, the impacts of those things on the environment and people involved, not seeing how all of this actually affects us and the world around us means that we are easily manipulated into continuing to participate in the systems we have without ever questioning them.
Especially because we are so deeply taught that fitting in and being good enough is the way to have safety and connection, and this fitting in and being good enough is SO deeply connected to how society views us.
And how society views us comes in large part from how we are conditioned to judge one another - and we are conditioned to judge one another based on what they have, own and do.
More About Our Personal Value And How It Plays Into The System
At the same time, we are constantly being told that we must be in a constant state of consumption in order to be recognized as valuable in our system.
We live in a world where the wealthier you can appear to be - the more respect you are going to get from society at large - and we live in a world where connection and true community is so deeply scarce, and where opportunity to move into a situation where you DON’T have to kill yourself in order to make enough comes through being perceived as valuable - that being in this state of perceived abundance is the prerequisite to us getting at least SOME social connection and SOME chance at moving up the proverbial ladder so that we don’t have to suffer so much to make ends meet.
So many of our systems work not in a way where those who are most qualified, deserving or motivated get the roles that lead to security and abundance, but rather it is those who were simply born into parts of society where they automatically had access to quality education, safe places to live, people who were connected and the ability to move up and be safe.
People are continually told that it is their choices and their choices alone that determine their place in society, when in reality there is a MASSIVE part of our life that is literally dictated to us via our systems and we are made blind to that intentionally so that those who are at the top of our systems can keep setting the rules to favor themselves at the expense of those who are below them, and can continue to act as though this is just how things are, vs. being a system that can - and arguably should - be shifted.
We live in a deeply classist society that we are being told isn’t classist. We are living in a society where those at the top remain at the top via making sure that they are increasing their profits as much as possible, all the time.
You see the connection here?
The more we are being pushed into a place where our sense of security comes from fitting into a system that we are mostly blind to, the more we are going to be willing to do things that cause harm without even realizing we’re doing it - because we are just trying to do what we can to keep ourselves safe and ok.
We are often too scared, overwhelmed and busy to look into what’s REALLY happening, and again even if we DO try to look into what’s really happening, getting that information is really hard because it’s so well hidden and obfuscated.
So we end up - literally in every sector of society literally from the bottom where you actually DON’T have enough and don’t have security, all the way to the top where you ARE secure but are constantly being convinced that you aren’t and that that security could go away at any second - feeling like our safety is precarious and that we must keep playing the game lest we lose the game and end up in a worse situation.
Enough is never enough. You will notice this when you realize that the wealthy are continuing to get wealthier, and you will also see the deep connection between the fact that the wealthier those at the top get, the more those who were already in a situation of suffering and struggling seem to struggle.
You will notice that the wealthier the top people in our society become, the more those that they employ, the more those that are in the chain of labor all the way down from them are asked to do, the more their rights and freedoms are taken away, the more their benefits are reduced, the more they are asked to sacrifice and the more they are asked to pay in exchange for the goods and services they use on a daily basis.
That wealth that is accumulating at the top isn’t getting there by accident.
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Let’s take a break here and come back next week to explore more about how we are indoctrinated to value what we value and how that serves to keep us trapped in loops of never enough and pain.
<3
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