I encountered some financial hardship in the last couple days. Like many other Americans, I sat and thought, "why me?" The economy is terrible, and I'm struggling to "make ends meet." While it's true that I'm going to have to pull some fancy footwork to get the bills paid, I had to take a step back and look at my situation. I was complaining about my situation to a friend, and I realized I was doing so on a laptop. I was sitting at the dining room table, eating my dinner. I certainly wasn't eating ramen, and I certainly don't have to wait in line for a couple hours for a meager plate of food to feed an entire family.
I'm not saying that those of us who by some stroke of accident or miracle ended up living in a country that has the infrastructure and resources to give us our basics don't have the right to improve our situations. However, I don't think we spend nearly enough time appreciating what we have. Our culture implores us to want more. More. And then even more. I think there's merit in trying to improve the standard of living, but how much do we really need? We have a "stuff" culture, and I'm just as guilty as anyone else. My closet is over-stuffed with clothing I don't wear. Every morning I drink coffee with flavored creamer. Excess finds itself even in the life of a poor college kid.
So I'm not going to tell you to give up your lattes, or post depressing photos of starving Haitian children (we see them on the news every day as it is). And I'm also not going to assume that everyone reading this is a well-off member of American society. I'm just trying to put things in perspective. If you look at the map above, you see that a large portion of the country's citizens are living in poverty. That obviously does not encompass the countless others in other areas of the world. It's a bit of an eye opener.
So this post I'm going to request you take a look at your life, your home. Don't run out and sell all of your personal belongings to donate the money to charity (unless you really want to). But think about the the things you've "needed" recently and ask yourself if it truly is a need... or just a want. Take a look at your home, and don't think "what more can I buy," but think, "how can I improve the space I have using what I've got?" Sometimes it's just a matter of rearranging a room to better suit your needs, or organizing a space around a particular activity. Spend more time with your family and friends. Take a look and reassess what is important in your life.
It's not about cutting out all consumerism, it's about living consciously-- and taking the time to appreciate your situation for what it is.
