Economy doesn't create abundance. It creates scarcity. | the economy letters
The economy has created an abundance of things, but above all, it has created scarcity. And it turns us from being citizens to being consumers.
It is never enough.
We are living among an incredible abundance of possibilities, with options available to us that previous generations couldn't even imagine. We have the ability to fly around the world, the leisure time to do so, the capacity to buy and utilize technology and products, and the opportunity to consume media and information. But it's never enough.
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The economy has created an abundance of things, but above all, it has created scarcity. All those things we produce do not solve our needs or help us grow; they create the constant feeling of lack that is necessary to keep the cycle going.
The effects are tremendous:
We are creating sick societies. We are not dying from a lack of food but from too much of it. We are getting depressed by the void in our lives. We are addicted to drugs and sex media.
We are creating ecological destruction with all its consequences, ranging from climatic changes we can't handle, to war and political instabilities, to the fact that we ruin our own ability to adapt and survive by damaging our livelihoods.
We are destroying our communities, the richness of our cultures and traditions, and the social fabric that keeps us alive and gives us meaning and the fullness of life.
But the economy's most far-reaching influence is on our existence as engaged, co-creative, active citizens. The economy turns us from citizens into consumers. It creates a distorted version of power: not the power to create something, understand the world, or evolve, but the power to possess something, whether it be money, an apartment, or simply a different kind of shampoo.