HomeHomeDecember 2000
Happy Holidays! December is a paradoxical month for us here in Minnesota. With the onset of colder, snowier weather and shorter days, Mother Nature urges us to slow down. However, the many celebrations of the season also force us to speed up in order accomplish all tasks and preparations on time. This month we celebrate Ramadan, Hanukkah, and Christmas, as well as the African-American holiday, Kwanzaa.
And we're beginning the season at a bit of a disadvantage---we're growing mentally weary from this Presidential election. Between the endless news updates about the "ground war" and "battle" for the White House, and the Federal and state court battles, the only thing missing from our national drama is the booming narration of Cecil B. DeMille!
Nevertheless, we haven't lost our sense of humor, judging from the myriad of emails ranging from "Sample Florida Ballots for Idiots" to "Dr. Seuss in Flori-duh" poems which have been flying through cyberspace in the last few weeks. Our celebrations will continue, despite this uncertain political situation.
Besides, the Christmas shopping season has already begun! A quick perusal of any American newspaper or magazine provides us with a plethora of ads for discounted products, and as well as numerous tips for buying the perfect holiday gifts. By the time the New Year arrives, most of us will be overfed, overtired, and overspent. It is the season for overconsumption.
The holidays are a time of high expectations, as our families and friends gather together to honor whatever traditions we may have. In America we're living through a period of unprecedented economic growth. We have much to be grateful for, and much in the way of material possessions. However, our drive to acquire more and better things also comes with a higher price than just the mere "sticker" prices of our possessions. According to Jessie H. O'Neill, author of The Golden Ghetto: The Psychology of Affluence, we suffer from a cultural malady called Affluenza.
O'Neill states that affluenza is "...a dysfunctional relationship with money/wealth, or the pursuit of it. Individual and cultural symptoms are: an inability to delay gratification and tolerate frustration; a false sense of entitlement; loss of future motivation; low self-esteem; loss of self-confidence; low self-worth; preoccupation with externals. Sudden wealth syndrome and sudden poverty syndrome are both parts of the greater "dis-ease" of affluenza." According to O'Neill: "Affluenza is not simply 'a rich person's disease.' Because affluenza separates us from one another -- and from ourselves -- both our personal and professional productivity decreases, and all of society suffers."
Authors Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin understood this phenomenon well when they wrote Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money And Achieving Financial Independence (Penguin Books, New York, 1992). They said: "Participants in our seminars, whatever the size of their incomes, always said they needed 'more' to be happy...The results astounded us. They told us that not only are most people habitually unhappy, but they can be unhappy no matter how much money they make." The authors added: "So here we are, the most affluent society that has had the privilege to walk the face of the earth, and we're stuck with our noses to the grindstone, our lives in a perpetual loop between home and job and our hearts yearning for something that's just over the horizon."
Our lifestyles and our levels of consumption also affect the rest of the world. At last month's international conference on climate change in the Netherlands, the U.S. was singled out as the largest polluter in the world. That's not the only problem we face. According to the lead story in the November-December issue of E magazine, the US population is expected to more than double in the next 100 years, causing unimaginable strains on the environment.
So, how do we change the course of our lives (and the course of the planet?) Are we inherently selfish beasts whose greed and aggression foretell a nightmarish end to the collective dream of the planet?
Scientist Jane Goodall offers her perspective in her poignant book, Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey (Soko Publications, 1999). After a review of the dangers we face, she comments:
"There are, in fact, success stories everywhere. The trouble is, most of us don't get involved. Most of us don't realize the difference we could make. We love to shrug off our own responsibilities, to point fingers at others. Surely, we say, the pollution, waste, and other ills are not our fault. They are the fault of industry, business, science. They are the fault of the politicians. This leads to a destructive and potentially deadly apathy. Let us remember, always, that we are the consumers. By exercising free choice, by choosing what to buy, what not to buy, we have the power, collectively, to change the ethics of business, of industry. We have the potential to exert immense power for good--we each carry it with us, in our purses, checkbooks, and credit cards. No one will force us to buy genetically engineered food, or meat from factory farms or furniture made from clear-cut forests. We can search for and buy organically grown food, free-range eggs , and so on. But, you say, it costs a little more. Yes, it does. But as more and more people buy these products the prices will drop. And anyway, are we, or are we not, prepared to pay a few extra pennies to buy the future for our children."
Goodall adds:
"The trouble is that we suffer--all of us--from just me-ism. 'I am just one person. What I do or don't do, can't possibly make any difference. So why should I bother?' Imagine: as more and more people around the world become aware of what is good and what is bad for the environment, and for society, this means there are thousands, then millions--then billions all thinking the same: 'It can't make any difference what I do--it's just me.' Think how it would be if we could turn that around---thousands and millions and billions of people all knowing that what they do does make a difference."
Mark Hertsgaard, author of Earth Odyssey: Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future (Broadway Books, New York, 1998) spent seven years traveling around the globe, learning about the destruction of the environment. In this touching account of his journey, he writes:
"In some ways, then, the most basic question to ask about the human environmental future is, will we learn to share? We teach sharing to our children, and it is a central message of most of our religions.
The most difficult sharing will not be of money--the rich have plenty of that--but of environmental space...Many Americans will resist such sharing, in part, because they simply do not realize how lavish their lifestyles are compared with the rest of the world's. In taking for granted such luxuries as unlimited hot water at the turn of a tap, to say nothing of cars bigger than many people's houses, Americans inadvertently exhibit the sort of arrogance and self-centeredness that has made people hate the rich since time immemorial. The irony is that Americans are in fact a generous people, or at least like to think of themselves that way: They are simply oblivious to how wasteful and selfish their lives appear to outsiders."
Indeed, Americans are a generous people. In his November 25 radio address, President Clinton lauded our charitable giving and urged young people to "discover the rewards of generosity." We have contributed $190 billion to charitable causes last year, a 41% increase since 1995. According to Clinton, that money has helped feed hungry people, immunize children, build homes for the poor, tutor immigrants, restore parks and send disaster relief to people at home and abroad. He added, "We're making a difference, but we still have more to do."
So where do we begin? What does all this mean for women who traditionally give much time and energy to families, work and home? Our lives are already busy enough and stressful enough as it is. Can't we simply enjoy our holidays and not take on the guilt of the world, too? Of course we can. The point is to educate ourselves about what we can do, and to remember, above all, that our individual lives can and do make a difference. Opportunities are all around us. We just have to cultivate our awareness and keep our hopes up. As Kahlil Gibran reminds us, "You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give."
So let's enjoy the season, and count our blessings!
Here are some interesting resources:
Oprah Winfrey's O magazine is a delight to read. She picks a different mission each month, and focuses on that topic. The December issue revolves around "Generosity: A Splurge of the Spirit."
On making a difference--
From January 15th-26th, young Americans have the opportunity to take the Do Something Kindness and Justice Challenge in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. national holiday. Students will learn about the values of responsibility, compassion, nonviolence and moral courage--and about great Americans such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., whose lives truly inspired change and made this country a better place.
USA Weekend magazine sponsors an annual Make A Difference Day every October. More than 10 million volunteers have joined in to help others over the past 10 years.
On voluntary simplicity--
The Center for a New American Dream is a non-profit with the mission of helping individuals and institutions "reduce and shift consumption to enhance quality of life and protect the environment."
Seeds of Simplicity is a program from the Center for Religion, Ethics & Social Policy at Cornell University. This L.A.-based non-profit works to "help mainstream and symbolize voluntary simplicity as an authentic social and environmental issue." Alternatives for Simple Living is a non-profit that "equips people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly."
Linda Breen Pierce delved into the topic of voluntary simplicity and worked on a three-year study that became The Pierce Simplicity Study. She offers her updated Simplicity Resource Guide on the web. Other resource listings can be found at this site: http://www.life.ca/subject/simplicity.html.
Living Lightly on the Earth - This web site offers no products, but challenges readers to think about personal consumption and happiness. They offer other resources on the subject.On the topic of less consumerism, some groups around the world are promoting Buy Nothing Day, when consumers are urged to re-think the "shop til you drop" idea and its effects on the globe. In the U.S., it was held on November 25th, and in the UK, it was held on November 24th.
Here's an excellent example of a foundation which is making a difference:
The Robin Hood Foundation has the single goal of ending poverty in New York City.
And, there are a number of opportunities for adventurer travelers to share experiences that will "feed the soul"---
December's Simplycity includes Heather Willen's piece on soul siestas, volunteer opportunities to make a difference in communities around the globe.
Your faithful correspondent will attempt to "walk the talk" by participating in a Global Volunteers project this month. Global Volunteers was one of the organizations mentioned in Ms. Willen's article. We'll see you back here in January.
Teresa
tcallies@hotmail.com
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