Is the US economy a metaphor for our lives?
Downturn. Crisis. Recession. Stimulus package. Tax breaks. Pink slips. Foreclosures. Falling stock prices. Overvalued. Overpriced. Unregulated. These are some of the words being used to describe the current state of the US economy. Words you’re not likely to hear–at least in mainstream media and definitely not from politicians–are greed, lust, gluttony, foolhardy, crazy, unrealistic, unhealthy, disconnected.
Now, in no way am I saying that people deserve to lose their jobs, their homes, or their retirement savings. I know there is much hardship that many are now facing due to the shifting sands of economic fortune. I do think, however, that their are many ways in which we ourselves brought on this reality. Here are a few.
Spending more money than we have to spend. I got my first credit card my freshman year in college. Though I’ve been responsible with how I use it most of the time, I have gotten myself into debt (revolving debt that stayed with me for months) three times in my life (in 17 years of credit card use, mind you). While there are plenty of forces outside of ourselves that encourage us to spend copiously, the true fault lies at our own feet. We are the ones who choose to buy it now and pay for it later. Now we’re finding out what paying for it later can look like.
Confusing stuff with a price tag with stuff of value. Yes, the media tells us that trinkets, toys, and the telltale symbols of the “good life” are what we need, but again, we’re the ones buying that line and filling our lives with many things that ultimately have little to no real value to us. Sure there are material things I’m grateful to have and some items which I truly treasure. The problem for most of us is that rather than spending our lives building lasting value–deep friendships, memories of time shared with loved ones, meaningful work–we busy our lives traipsing after things whose value is fleeting at best.
Seeing continuous growth as the best, and only way, to live. I cringe whenever I hear people tout the many ways we can grow our economy. Is it good to have a market for our wares and demand for our products? Yes. Is it realistic or healthy to believe that growth is always good and should be a constant? No. Last I checked, unchecked growth went by another name — cancer. Life is cyclical. There are seasons of growth to be sure, and we reap our bounty at the harvest. Those times, however, are followed by months when the land is dormant and we allow the earth to regenerate herself in preparation for the next season of growing. Perhaps, living so far removed from the natural ways of life, we have forgotten that “there is a time for every purpose under heaven” and that growth was never intended to be a constant in our lives.
Being unwilling to make some of the “hard choices” in order to create what we truly want. While I don’t believe in suffering or having a mindset that we must deprive ourselves, I do also think that we’ve forgotten how to be discerning in our decision making. We’re currently working to pay off some debt we incurred last year. To do that, we shifted items in our budget to put more of our income toward elimination of the debt. So for a few months, we’ll have less to spend for entertainment or eating out, but I’m glad of it because this choice is enabling me to create something much more important — no debt.
Being afraid that less money will make us poor. I believe that one of the biggest lies in our culture is that money/material possessions equals happiness. By buying so many things and then needing money to maintain these things, we make it imperative that we must work, work, work. So addicted are we that the average US worker has less than 2 weeks vacation in a year, while our brothers and sisters to the north get nearly a month of vacation annually, and our European neighbors enjoy over one full month off from labor every calendar year. The rewards of less work include more time to use as we choose. In many countries, this time is spent savoring relationships, relaxing, and simply taking the time to live life day-to-day. I’ve rarely seen a correlation between money and happiness — in fact, after a certain point, money or material goods add no value at all to our lives.
Keep your life from becoming bankrupt of value
So here’s my advice for quick ways to add value to your life.
- Know what’s valuable to you. Is it more time for yourself? Time to cultivate new relationships? The ability to travel? Don’t let our culture or other people tell you what should be important in your own life. You make that choice.
- Start eliminating whatever doesn’t add value to your life. This might mean selling or giving away some possessions. This could look like changing your work, moving, redoing your household budget or otherwise making shifts in your choices. Again, don’t let the ideas of others overrule your own judgment.
- Be thankful for all you have. Each day remember that you’ve had enough air to keep you breathing and enough water and food to sustain your body. Once you start truly appreciating all you already have, chances are you’ll realize you need less than you once thought.
- Share what gives you value. When we generously offer the value from our lives to others, all of us become richer in the process. You can either give your valuable items away (e.g., donating your money or material goods to charity, allowing your neighbor to have food from your garden) or simply share them (e.g., loaning your favorite books and movies to friends, sharing your lawnmower with your neighbors).
- Live with the end in mind. Unless there are radical new scientific discoveries, we’ll all be leaving our bodily form some day. Envision your life at this end point. What legacy do you want to leave behind? What impact do you want your life to have had? Once you have some ideas clearly in mind, start making subtle shifts now to move toward a successfully fulfilled vision. Start putting money aside to give to a favorite charity. Give heirlooms you never use away to family or friends who will love and appreciate them now. Leave your legacy one step at a time and see how much richer every day starts to become.
If you have suggestions on how to live a rich, rewarding life, please share them in the comments section. I know your wisdom would certainly add value to this post.
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I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Mike Harmon
Comment by Mike Harmon — February 2, 2008 @ 11:52 am
Thanks for taking the time to read through some of the blog, Mike. I appreciate your leaving a comment to let me know you enjoyed it. Feel free to comment anytime. Peace.
Comment by Shonnie — February 2, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
Oh my, is your blog not timely! And yes, I totally agree that what is going on with our economy is a brilliant metaphor for how I am living my life. Thanks for being another wake-up call for me. My husband and I have a lot of work to do to get ourselves back on track. The beauty of all this is … we can chose to break old habits, and move forward out of gratitude for what is the most valuable thing in our life - our relationship and love for each other!
Comment by Loyd Kinnett — February 2, 2008 @ 2:15 pm