The Myth of Scarcity

What?! Scarcity a myth? Everyone knows our resources are dwindling. There is not enough and you’d better get your piece before someone else does.

But suppose for a moment that there is enough for everyone. Enough not just to survive, but to really thrive. This is the invitation Lynne Twist offers in The Soul of Money. She suggests that when we stop racing to get more and more and really appreciate what we already have, we find the creative energy to bring forth what we need.

The myth of scarcity. How often do we say to ourselves “there is not enough”? Not enough money, not enough time, not enough jobs, not enough resources. So we have to work hard to get more before it runs out. More money, a newer car, a bigger house, a bigger paycheck. As Lynne Twist points out, because these attitudes are so pervasive in our society, we just assume that's the way it is and there's not really anything we can do about it.

But Lynne tells stories of more and more people discovering that this simply isn't true. By stepping back and letting go of the idea of scarcity, people are starting to discover the wealth they do have. All kinds of wealth - inner resources, knowledge, skills, relationships, connections. I remember watching an interview of an older African American woman in the aftermath of Katrina. There, amid all the stories of people who had lost everything, she was a voice of reassurance and determination: “You are still alive. You have a mind and two hands and together we can rebuild.”

Sufficiency. Lynne suggests “if we look around us and within ourselves, we will find what we need. There is always enough.”

Think about it. If we know in our hearts there is enough--enough for everyone—how would our decisions be different?

• Would we breathe a sigh of relief?
• How would we steward and develop our time, treasure and talent?
• What would we invest these resources in?
• What kind of a world would we build for our children? For everyone’s children?
• What would our businesses look like?
• Would we begin to see that we actually can make a difference?

If we believe there is enough…