"Better is a handful with quiet than two handfuls with toil, and a chasing after wind." - from Ecclesiastes 4:4-16
Dale Hildebrand recalls today a walk on mountain trails with Philippine Mennonite church leaders. They journeyed to the homes of rice farmers and workers in the village of Digayap. Entering the home of his friends there, he noted that all their belongings would fit neatly in a wheelbarrow: a mat, blankets and pillows for sleeping, two or three changes of clothing each, and a few simple cooking and eating utensils. He said
I have visited many poor families in the Philippines, but this community seemed different. No "grinding poverty" here. Small plots of vegetables and fruit trees surround their house. Children appear healthy...after a supper of rice and sardines, I ask ... if they are happy with their lives. Except for the long distance they must travel to schools and hospitals, they say, they feel content.
Dale asks us to reflect on our aspirations to lift people across the globe to the level of consumption we practice -- to allow poor people to catch up with the rich.
But ecologists tell us that we would need five to seven more earth-sized planets to provide the resources and absorb the waste if everyone lived like the average North American and European. Instead of solving poverty by givign people slices of a bigger pie, we may need to change how we slice the pie we have.
Might we live more contentedly with a much smaller slice of Earth's bounty?
Questions for Today
How do those who live contentedly with far less do it? What's the secret?
What are my criteria for distinguishing between needs and wants?
Have I ever truly experienced the freedom and joy of contentment with what I have? For how long?
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