Your choice: valuing money over people
Hmmm this thought keeps cropping up in my life of late.
There are 7 billion people in this world and yes, money can seem like a scarcity sometimes. BUT then again, there are billions of dollars being made and spent in this world everyday. (Swiss 2013 GDP is about 650 billion USD just fyi so actually I do think there is enough money in this world already to take care of ALL the people…)
But I’m not talking about terrible wealth distribution and greed in this space today.
I just want to focus a few words on a choice we all have and have made, whether actively or inactively in our lives. MONEY OR PEOPLE: what do you value more?
Now the answer is as diverse as we people can be and yes, we all see and live things differently. However, what is your answer? I love and support PEOPLE over MONEY I hope (I try to with my choices).
Buuuut in this day and age of minimal wages and job cuts and ‘unskilled’ labour etc., our lifestyles reflect our beliefs and values, whether we know it or not.
Lately, I’ve been confronted with this ugly truth that lots of people prefer saving/making/keeping money over other people and EVEN THEMSELVES!!!!
Examples:
1. When buying clothes, if we are going for the cheapest deals when we know kinda that these clothes were made by people for paltry unsustainable wages, are we not choosing our ‘hot’ looks over supporting businesses that actually care about their workers and give them jobs and work with healthy conditions? = saving money OVER ppl
MINI SOLUTION: buy second-hand clothes. buy less junk. get stuff for free from friends and family.
2. When working long hours and unfulfilling jobs just to earn MORE money, even at the expense of our health, peace, and sanity, ISN’T THAT LOVING MONEY MORE THAN YOURSELF? Does the money make up for the fact that you are unhappy and unwell? making money OVER your own well-being 🙁
MINI SOLUTION: try to find work that fits into your beliefs so that you enjoy the hours at work. go home at 5 or 6 and eat good food for lunch. exercise and take breaks.
3. When we support free controversial speech that is mean and hurts others’ feelings and watch crass movies and buy newspapers or cartoons to show that we care, is this is another choice of valuing something OVER people? In this case, it doesn’t seem like it is money directly that reigns supreme here, but in the case of Hollywood movie making, isn’t the bottom line one of its primary concerns? freedom (& consumerism) OVER building more tolerant relations
MINI SOLUTION: vote with your dollars. don’t buy junk. get informed and aware of the misconstrued messages that exist and make informed choices.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, we all have a say and we are all decision-makers. WHAT DO YOU VALUE? I hope your life reflects what you believe in and also the goodness of being human.
THOUGHTS?