The Lie of Scarcity
A deep and honest examination into the concept of scarcity being a human-created illusion and how true abundance in inherently encoded into all of the natural world.
“Gratitude is one of the strongest and most transformative states of being. It shifts your perspective from lack to abundance and allows you to focus on the good in your life, which in turn pulls more goodness into your reality.” — Jen Sincero
There’s not enough food.
There’s not enough money.
There’s not enough opportunity.
There are not enough jobs to go around.
There’s just… not enough.
Not enough.
ENOUGH!
Scarcity is a flat-out lie. It’s a fabrication of the human mind. It’s a mindset that’s purported by the media, the world governments and multinational corporate interests. Why? Because the idea that there’s not enough of something creates desperation, fear, anxiety, stress and, potentially, violence. It’s a mentality that makes people easier to control and manipulate, and therefore, not focused on the truth of reality.
Make no mistake, there is a definite inequality in the distribution of resources here on this planet. As people hoard money, seeds, food resources, land and more materials items, it’s undeniable that the “haves” keep getting more and more and more. With the rampant inequalities that are flaunted in front of our faces, it’s easy to get discouraged, defeated and start believing the lie of scarcity.
But it’s exactly that: a big, fat, stinkin’, hairy, grease-covered lie.
“Abundance is consciously receiving that which has already been given.” — Matthew Englehart
It’s all too easy to look around at our lives and see what ISN’T there. To compare our lives to people on social media and wonder why the grass is greener over in their yard. The antidote to this is to look at what’s already present in our lives and FEEL the gratitude for what’s already been given to us.
In a culture that’s all about “bigger, better, faster, more, different” this is a radical act of self-love and honoring the blessings that life has already bestowed upon us. This is not easy to do. In fact, it’s hard work to cultivate an abundant mentality when we are bombarded with so many cultural examples of the opposite.
One of the insidious offshoots of the illusion of scarcity is the idea that we have to compete with everyone for success, resources, wealth and fame. Or, in other words, the crab barrel. The crab barrel is an analogy where the crabs that attempt to escape from the barrel are pulled back in by the other crabs that latch onto their legs and pull them back down into the water. Misery loves company, they say. And this shows up with people too. The moment we see someone thriving, abundant, happy, wealthy or successful, we want to poke holes in their reputation or their image somehow. Why the hell can’t we just be happy for someone? Is there, perhaps, a different way of approaching this?
“Instead, I have an abundance mentality: When people are genuinely happy at the successes of others, the pie gets larger.” — Stephen Covey
When we train ourselves to let go of the idea that there’s not enough, we can start to be authentically happy when others around us thrive. This, in turn, magnetizes joy into our lives. The acknowledgment of abundance brings more of it. Not only that, when you celebrate and uplift others, people are magnetically drawn to that kind of energy. It makes you a really lovely person to be around.
Conversely, when we have more than we need, one of the greatest joys is to share that abundance with those who have less than we do. When your cup runneth over, it can be tremendously heart-opening to share our food, our time, our wisdom, our monetary resources and our talents to uplift, inspire, help and heal other people. In fact, it may be an ethical imperative in a world that is fraught with so much inequality. If we are truly one, sharing a unified consciousness, coming from the same creator, made out of the elements from dead stars… then as we share our abundance with others we, in turn, become more abundant. It’s the law of reciprocal generosity. Or, in simpler terms, as you give, you get.
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt
There’s a quote that’s been floating around the internet that says, “I make myself rich by making my wants few.” It’s an interesting idea: creating additional wealth by eliminating our perceived desires. So much of our anxiety and stress is related to chasing material satisfaction. Once we get the new watch, the new car, the new house, the new dress, the new boobs, the new whatever-the-fuck, THEN we’ll give ourselves permission to be happy and fulfilled. But that’s the rub in the material chase; the hungry ghost inside of us is never satiated. It always wants more. And what it wants usually requires draining not only our bank account but also our energy reserves. It’s freakin’ exhausting to keep chasing things, status, people and money.
“Abundance is a process of letting go; that which is empty can receive.” — Bryant H. McGill
Life abhors a vacuum. When we let go of things that no longer serve us or make us feel fulfilled, this newfound emptiness provides room for something that’s in greater alignment to enter our lives. So, perhaps then, true abundance is about identifying and allowing what’s useful, what’s truly aligned and what allows us to flourish and carry out our life’s work.
In nature, there is no such thing as scarcity. When you go on a walk on the beach, it’s impossible to count the grains of sand under your feet. When you find yourself in the middle of the woods, it’s impossible to count the number of leaves, branches and seeds above your head. When you look up at the night sky on a warm summer day, it’s impossible to count the innumerable number of stars, galaxies and celestial bodies that exist light years away from our tiny blue planet. Nature is about thriving. Nature is about abundance. Nature is about procreation and replication. Nature always finds a way.
But we, in our infinite “wisdom”, have created perhaps the greatest illusion ever purported by humanity. The lie of scarcity. The lie that there’s “not enough”. The lie that other people have to starve, sacrifice, suffer and die so that others can hoard resources. Our collective issue on this planet is not a lack of food, crops, seeds, money, clean water or arable land. No, our issue is sociopathic greed, myopathy of political agendas, unchecked capitalism and the horrifically poor distribution of basic resources to the people that need them the most.
All we would need to do is share. To commit to being more generous. To make our perceived needs and wants fewer. To learn to live with less in a society that always tried to convince us that we need more. To look at the lie of scarcity in the face and say, “No. You’re full of shit and there’s more than enough to go around. Thank you.” To find new ways of taking good care of one another and ground ourselves in a basic, humanitarian ethical stance that ALL humans deserve ample food, water, shelter, clothing and basic municipal support.
Perhaps as we face our greatest crises in this lifetime under the specter of a looming environmental catastrophe, THAT will be the impetus for us to finally come together in unified energy of loving support, generosity, equanimity and the reality that we all deserve to have our basic needs for life met. If that’s what it takes, so be it. But one thing is for sure: we need to look at the truth of this reality and stop believing the lie of scarcity that’s separated us for too long.
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This writing was originally posted on Wellevatr.com.
