Well, I'm out of money to spend and can not remember the last time I have been in such a predicament.
In truth, it has triggered the remembering of many times I have been out of money in my life.
I'm remembering eating rice only for a month straight just so I could afford coffee and cigarettes.
Gross remembrance considering all I could have purchased instead of cigarettes. Coffee? No, that was a basic human need then.
But, there were even harder times when I was out of job with no signs of hope ahead, no clients, no cigarettes, and no coffee. I applied for food stamps, but was rejected because I owned too much. So, I had a huge yard sale which produced two months relief, which was all I needed. If I hadn't learned how already, I successfully managed my new money with exceptional scrutiny.
Today, being out of money is a different animal with which to reckon. Comfort of home, stock of food, garden, closet full of clothes, tank of gas in the car which should last until the end of the month, leaves me with nothing about which to be angry, and only to wait until the first of the month.
How many people are there in the world who literally are starving, have no clothes, no shelter, and no first of the month to wait for? Why, in this world where all is available, are there so many in this condition? The poor will always be with us, well and good, but the poverty today is here in my community and everywhere. And it isn't all right.
My present "suffering" only reminds me of what's going on in the world around me. Relatively, I am rich. I feel very wealthy, not compared to being abjectly poor, but cause I have had the energy to be resourceful.
Do I want to alleviate poverty? Well, yes. But, even more so, I desire to be among those in the great spirit movement of our time - that transformative power which gives people the impetus to make choices, ability to be resourceful, access the creative source, self-confident in the sustainability on this planet that is occasioned by good will choices.
Is this too much to ask?
1 comment:
Sent in email
I was going over your Circle Firefly Dance blog's and the one entitled "I and Resolve are Remembering" reminded me of a long forgotten Japanese philosophy called Wabi Sabi. The fundamentally Japanese concept resonates with just about any culture. The term "Wabi Sabi" comes from two Japanese words. Wabi means poverty, but poverty of a genteel sort where you have everything you need, but not necessarily everything you want. Sabi is a Japanese technical literary term used to describe a certain melancholy feeling such as evoked by nature, rural scenes and Autumn. Together they describe a certain kind of simplicity, almost like living a bohemian lifestyle where you eschew conspicuous consumption. It's about respectful conversation, harmonious and peaceful dwellings and modest behaviour. It is ordered but not orderly, planned but not scheduled, simple but not simple-minded, and deliberate without being rigid. I enjoy reading your insightful blog and it often reminds me of past and present events in my peripatetic life. Any way, so much for Wabi Sabi and see 'ya later. Let the rest of the clan know that I'm still alive and tuk tuking serendipitously around paradise. Kurt.
Post a Comment