Scarcity is a Contrivance of the Human Mind
Have you ever looked at a mountain and think about all the soil, earth, rock, previous metals, and minerals contained in it? Suppose you needed some clay to build a small mud house. Do you think you would get enough or more than enough? Think of the amount of oxygen available in the earth’s atmosphere versus the amount of oxygen needed to sustain human life. Even in a million years, humans cannot even nearly exhaust the supply of oxygen needed to sustain life on earth. And more is constantly being produced.
Think of our planets and solar system. Did you know that our sun is just one of the billions of stars in the universe? In fact, the number of galaxies is in the universe is infinite, not finite. Can humans ever exhaust all the water in the sea? Water is neither created nor destroyed by natural processes, but is constantly changing from one form to another.
Unfortunately, in today’s world, many people were programmed to accept scarcity as part of their existence. They live in constant fear of lack. This fear is part of their imagination, a contrivance of the human mind, and it is what causes scarcity to manifest in the lives of these people. These people tend to think that if they use too much of a resource, they will eventually have a lack of it. As a result, they live in constant self-limitation and self-denial. Unfortunately, these people tend to instill this fear in their children, who live with the same limiting beliefs, and who sometimes pass it down to their children.
In the bible, Jesus tells us, “Look at the grass of the field, which are there today, and cut down and thrown away tomorrow. Yet, King Solomon in all his glory was not provided for as bountifully as one of these blades of grass. And you are worth much more than the grass of the field. How much more will God not provide for you, His children?”
What Jesus was expressing in those few lines is extremely powerful. But it is even more heartwarming and reassuring to think about. Jesus is telling us that God will provide for us more than King Solomon, the richest king in biblical history. Think about that for a while. God can give all of us food, clothing, and shelter in greater abundance than King Solomon had in his days of glory. God has already made this provision for us, and if we look around us, we see signs of abundance all around us. Our part is to believe, accept God’s promise, and follow His instructions.
Some time ago, I was carrying on a conversation with a complete stranger from the United States via Facebook. This conversation was happening in the comments section under a post about war. I asked why humans cannot live in love, generosity, and empathy like Jesus commanded. This man seemed to think that there is lack and scarcity in the world, and so humans need to go to war “for resources.” How pitiful is this man because of the way he thinks. The reality is quite the opposite!
Let’s think about the Amish people of America for a while. These people serve as a sign and a wonder for us, and a reminder that there is no lack. The Amish live with the same primitive technology that existed in the time of Jesus – over two thousand years ago. They do not use industrial machinery of advanced chemical processes to produce. They do not trade outside of their sphere. Yet all of them are fed, clothed, and housed adequately. Yes, the Amish work hard, but this work serves them. The Amish rightly knows that hard work oils the “human machinery.”
In the normal industrialized work, we have machines that can produce thousands of times more in a fraction of the time, and with a fraction of the effort. Yet, there are many people in advanced, industrialized settings who live in lack and scarcity. This is due to human folly, and a lack of understanding of the abundance of nature.
There are also people who deliberately feed lies to others that lack and scarcity abounds so that they can pocket all the profits of a particular societal structure. These people suffer from greed, and cannot enjoy the joys of a generous spirit. These people willfully preach the doctrine of scarcity so they can oppress others. As Jesus said, they will reap their rewards in due time. When we understand that there is more than enough for everyone in the world, we understand the importance of generosity and creating fair systems of work and remuneration that benefits all.
Greed and Poor Leadership Can Lead to Scarcity
There is no lack of any good thing in the world, but greed, one of the seven deadly sins, can lead to scarcity and complete lack. And so can an unfit ruler. In the 1960s, in my homeland of Guyana, South America. after gaining Independence from Britain, a local leader by the name of Forbes Burnham took office. Burnham had a vision that Guyanese should “produce or perish” so he banned many basic food items from the country of Guyana. This led to real scarcity of food in the country because prior to that, the people had been importing most of their food items, and they were equipped with neither the tools nor knowledge to produce them. Consequently, there was widespread scarcity, lack, and even starvation. A good leader knows how to create abundance. On this note, we must bear in mind that not anyone can rule. Some people were born with the gift of leadership. This is implied in the Bible Verse, “I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking the earth as servants.” Genuine leaders create abundance. Unfit leaders create lack and scarcity.
In the 1990s, in my homeland of Guyana, South America, I saw a sign by the water company that read, “Water is Life. Save it.” This was the slogan of the Guyana Water Company whose job was to sell water to the people of Guyana. Imagine, a company whose business is to sell a product to an entire population encouraging that population to use less of it! These people do not understand the concept of abundance! They fail to understand also that it is impossible to save water. Water evaporates, turn to gas, condenses, and falls as rain. Water cannot be wasted. Except in certain places on earth, and in some circumstances, there is never any shortage of water.
If we look around us, all we see is abundance. there is no scarcity of any good thing. God created abundance, not scarcity. Of course, we must work to produce this abundance in our daily lives, but even this work benefits us by providing us with mental and physical exercise. Mental and physical exercises makes us stronger and more intelligent. On this note, it is important to draw the line between hard work and overwork. Overwork is based on folly and fear, and will lead to scarcity and poor health. Hard work with adequate rest and recreation will lead to the creation of abundance.
Sure, there are times when we face real scarcity, but such times and circumstances are very limited. These times and circumstances help us to invent machines and systems that produce even more. They equip us with knowledge and tools to prevent them from recurring in the future. Yes, there are times when we have to use sparingly. But those are limited, fleeting times. We must understand that the world is awash with pure abundance, and we will live our lives with every good thing.
