I read an article recently in Mother Earth News entitled,
“Beautiful and Abundant” by Bryan Welch.
He said, “No species has ever consciously recognized the limits of its
habitat and adjusted its behavior to live within those limits. If we are to change our course before some
natural calamity forcibly curbs our expansion, that change of course will be
plotted in the human imagination.”
While
Mr. Welch was speaking to global environmental issues, it occurred to me that
the same could be said for our individual “habitats”, i.e. our homes, our
families and social network, our jobs, our physical well-being. We are the masters of our destinies much of
the time but our societal influences can be hard to overcome.
We all
have a personal economic “habitat.” Most
of us are limited by our income. The
size of our family will change our economic habitat. Our skills and ability work and generate
income influence our economic habitat.
Many of
us live beyond our means or make plans that may be unrealistic. A good example of that is buying as much car
as possible within a “monthly payment” limit.
Or maybe you use your credit card for entertainment purchases. Both of those things are extremely acceptable
in our society but that doesn’t make them good choices. Just as ostentatious consumption of fossil
fuels and a dependence on global markets for cheap goods is harder and harder
for our world to support, so it is difficult to sustain our personal lifestyles
when we are overextended and living paycheck-to-paycheck.
Just as
air pollution and water pollution and global warming and deforestation impact
our global environment, our economic habitat can’t continue to support us if it
becomes polluted. How is your economic
habitat looking? Has it been polluted by
overspending and debt? Or have you been
conserving the resources of your economic habitat so that others aren’t
burdened by your choices?
Do you
have a savings account? When the housing
market busted a few years ago, it was discovered that Americans had a negative
spending rate, meaning most of us spent more than we made and that we weren’t
saving anything! That is a recipe for
disaster. If you have read this blog for
any time, you know that Mrs. Roy is a huge saver. It began simply - $10 taken out of my
paycheck and put in a credit union account before I got my paycheck. (Mrs. Roy loves payroll deductions!) Over the years, that nest egg has grown and
Mrs. Roy has seen the benefit of having something set aside for a rainy
day. Like Dave Ramsey says, it IS going
to rain; you might as well be ready.
When we
take care of our global habitat, we know we are helping ourselves and others
live better lives and we are providing a better place for future
generations. I believe our personal
economic habitats are similarly impacted by our actions. When we are frugal, conscientious consumers
and money managers, we have the ability to help others – perhaps by supporting
a local merchant or by being charitable to those in need. We have the ability to help our family and
friends if needed. And we create a good
example for our children and grandchildren, a model of success for them to
follow.
Just as our global environment is impacted in places I'll never visit because of my lifestyle choices here in the US, all aspects of our personal habitat are effected by our decision. Here's an example of how
everything overlaps.
We each have a
habitat that is comprised of our home and work environment. I’ve been a rabid recycler for many years and
I know that makes a lot of folks roll their eyes and call me a nut. But I have grandchildren now and our county
commission recently stated that solid waste is one the biggest problems our
county faces – both from a revenue perspective as the cost of using the local
landfill keeps going up as population and volume of garbage increase and from a
political perspective because citizens expect the government to take their
garbage. It has become a serious issue
that is not going away any time soon. It
is increasingly obvious to me that my grandchildren are going to be stuck with
the results of whatever decisions our present community leaders make but they
are also impacted by my personal decisions.
So I recycle – and I recycle some more.
I’ve even started looking at less packaging and buying local and
upcycling.
These
choices impact my home and work habitat but they also impact my economic habitat. The same principle applies to both situations. If I’m more conscious about how I spend my
money and what I spend it on, then I’m setting a good example for my
grandchildren and I’m putting myself in a position to help them if the need
arises. Conversely, if I live in a
constant state of near disaster, they are likely to learn bad habits and
continue the cycle of poverty. Do I want
to leave them a pile of debt when I die or do I want to leave them an
inheritance to help them move forward?
It is important that I “recycle” and “reuse” and “repair” my assets so
that I’m not negatively impacting those around me with my poor financial
habits.
We all
have a physical habitat, too. It is not
fun to “consciously recognize the limits” of my 50-something body but they
still exist. We can pollute the earth
and pretend it is someone else’s problem, but when I pollute my body, I can’t
really pretend I’m hurting anyone but myself.
Recognizing my limits means watching my fat intake to keep my
cholesterol under control and not trying to keep up with my grandkids when we
play. It means taking the stairs instead
of the elevator and walking around the block now and then.
Changing
my eating and exercise habits isn’t easy and it isn’t fun. I love cheeseburgers and fries. I love a soft drink as much as the next
guy. I’d much rather sit and sew or sit
and watch television or read a book than be outside in the heat
perspiring. We even had a family joke
when my kids were growing up that they had never seen me run and I told them I
didn’t perspire! I think they nearly
believed me! Mrs. Roy has had to get
proactive here and live VERY intentionally.
We are eating better – lots of vegetables and very little meat, watching
fat content, and yes, even exercising!
Our bodies are very forgiving but if we abuse them consistently, we
could lose the mobility and function God created us with. Remember, we only get ONE body, just like we
only have ONE planet. We have to take
care of it!
Back to
that Mother Earth News article, Mr. Welch makes an important point when he says
we need to “change our course before some natural calamity forcibly curbs our
expansion, . . . “ Do you really want to
keep mismanaging your financial habitat until you are forced to change by
bankruptcy or a job loss or a foreclosure or an arrest for bad checks? Do you really want to keep throwing things in
the trash can until they start piling it up in your yard? Do you really want to keep eating Oreo’s
until you have a heart attack?
We each have a choice each day on
how to live our lives. We wake up each
morning and have a whole day of opportunities to live better, to make choices
that will benefit us and those around us and future generations. Whether we are concerned about global energy,
overpopulation, saving the whales, or space junk, we must stop and make
conscious choices, not just keep going with the flow.
That is much more true on a
personal habitat level. We must, we
must, make conscious decisions about our personal lives in order to
succeed. To just float along with
whatever comes next is a certain recipe for disaster. To live intentionally is to honor the gift of
life that God has given us. To live
intentionally is to recognize our own limits as well as our dreams. To live intentionally is to give our children
and grandchildren the gift of a life well-lived while being well-loved.
The choices we make today have
consequences, no matter what society tells us.
Break out – live a life of conscious choice. You’ll be glad you did.
