Totally spent … a borrowed way of life comes to an end
In this op-ed for the New York Times, Robert Reich, the author of Supercapitalism and a professor of public policy at the University of California explores the growing inequality of rich and not-rich in America as the source of the current economic woes.
In essence,his premise is that the consumer-driven economy of the last 40 years has been artificially driven, first by women entering the work force to prop up their family income, then by working more, then by borrowing.
While I agree with this premise, and see these trends as the primary causes of such widespread social ills as increasing obesity, depression and disenfranchised youth, I wonder if there isn’t more to be considered. A growing economy is seen as universally good, but what we measure is spending (trading our time, generally for stuff) and how quickly we’re squandering our precious and finite natural resources.
Perhaps there is an opportunity here for a deeper shift, as we take back our time (the one truly finite resource human beings are granted) and apply it to the quest for more meaningful experience and personal and social evolution. Perhaps it is time to begin defining ourselves as citizens again, rather than consumers.
Everyone needs useful work in order to be happy, but it does necessarily follow that we need employment. Freeing ourselves — to the greatest possible degree — from the borrow/spend/earn cycle is the first step in achieving independence. As you consider this thought-provoking article, I invite you to consider another idea: what really fulfills you, and how can you invite more of that into your life? I suspect it isn’t something you could charge to your line of credit.