Freeconomy Blog
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12 Nov
Make Spiritual Poverty History
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Poverty means different things to different people. To the UK government, it means earning less than 60% of the median household income, which incidentally is £28,000. To others in the west, it may mean having a TV that still has a dial for tuning in the channels. For many in the South, it may simply mean not having enough food to survive.
The word itself – the state of being extremely poor - remains constant throughout time. But the definition of being poor doesn’t; it seems to change from generation to generation.
The one thing that seems clear to me, however, is that poverty is defined unanimously in terms of material goods and financial situation and that it is only the definition of the word ‘poor’ within this context that is up for debate.
But for me there is no such thing as material poverty. Nature is abundant beyond human comprehension. Not only have we been given the very gift of life in the first place, but She continues to give unconditionally throughout that life. And O how much too! It’s only our fixation on what we don’t have rather than appreciating what we do have that actually gives rise to perceived poverty in the first instance. Material poverty is an illusion; it is a symptom of a disease called spiritual poverty in a society of material hypochondriacs.
Most peoples response to that is “Well, what about Africa, where millions die each day from starvation? Surely that is enough evidence of material poverty.” But Africa’s material poverty is rooted in the spiritual poverty of the West, as it’s fundamentally our greed and desire for more and more financial wealth that has meant that the South are perpetually without the basic necessities of life.
So today I ask humanity to stop trying to cure the symptom that is called material poverty. Let’s start looking to the root of the problem. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t campaign for debt elimination and ways of making the south more self-sufficient at all, as that is also important. But unless we give some serious attention to spiritual poverty, its material form will always exist – enough will never be enough, material addicts will always want a bigger hit.
And as Gandhiji once said, there is more than enough for every man’s need, but not for every man’s greed. I propose we start a campaign called “Make Spiritual Poverty History”. Otherwise Oxfam’s campaign will have to continue until we make ourselves extinct.
So how do we ‘Make Spiritual Poverty History’? Good question and one that should have six billion versions of the same answer. Mine is to act with respect, love, and above all, gratitude for our natural environment and every species that dwells upon it. And to smile, laugh and be positive.
To highlight what I am trying to say, take the following example. By the government’s classification of poverty, I’m in it deep – this year I’ll probably have earned less than 30% of the national average. But no statistic they give me can convince me. How on earth could I be classified as poor – I see the sun rise every morning whilst listening to the birds sing as they go about their day. I can watch waves crash along a rugged coastline whilst I sit upon a golden shore. Every night I get to experience the moon circumnavigating our beautiful planet every, and in the forest I get to see billions of stars pinprick a silent sky. I’ve been given trees to guarantee I have enough clean oxygen to breathe, rivers to ensure I have enough water to drink and fertile soil to ensure I have enough food to sustain my body. They may call me poor. I feel like the richest man alive.
