What's more important..............

[ladyrowan]

"Those who have some means think that the most important thing in the world is love. The poor know that it is money"
Gerald Brenan, Thoughts in a Dry Season

I hate to admit it, but i think he could be right.

What do you think?

[Earth Walker]

As a poor woman, money is not really important, beyond what
I need for rent, groceries, and expenses.What I consider
really important is helping people, friendship, and living my
life as a daughter of the Goddess.

[ladyrowan]

Thats his point I think.
If you can pay rent, grocery bills and expenses, you have some means.
What if you have no job, no home, no family, no money? Given the choice, i think most of us would choose the money.

[Shy Hawk]

There are few of us who could live off the land, and be away from all of societies' trappings....but that's not to say that some of us can't do it.
I know a few, very few people who have dropped out of society and live in the mountains of WV and though they have no phone, car....job....(lol, the bums) they are content. But few could find solace in their way of life.

I often wonder if I could give it all up as they did...but you know...it aint that hard to do, you just have to look at life through different eyes.

[MammaStar]

Well, I don't think I could totally give up everything. I couldn't live without cable or my computer!!!!!! To me, the most important thing is that my happy little family stays that way. I know, BELIEVE ME, that we can't be happy all the time. But if I can go through my life with my son & boyfriend and be as happy as we have been for this past year and a half, then I couldn't ask for much more.

The money thing gets to me, A LOT. It's cause I don't have a lot and i'm always struggling to keep up with the bills, keep my son clothed and fed, and do the same for myself. It's not easy, so I'm thankful for what I have, and try not to get too uptight about it. At least not all the time. :rolleyes:

[Rævyn Cigány]

Originally posted by Mystique
As a poor woman, money is not really important, beyond what
I need for rent, groceries, and expenses.What I consider
really important is helping people, friendship, and living my
life as a daughter of the Goddess.

Hear hear!!! I second that emotion!!

BB

Rae )0(

[ladyrowan]

The way I look at it is this:

The most basic human needs are food and shelter. If you do not have the money to provide these needs the result is worry, stress, illness, even death.
Ask those living in real poverty if they are happy. Ask the world's starving what is the most important thing to them, i bet they won't say love.
I think most of us would agree that our family is the most important thing to us, but the really poor cannot provide their family with the most basic needs, and however much they love their family they must still watch their children and other loved ones die through lack of money.
I would be perfectly happy with only just enough to supply these basics, less than that and the last thing on your mind is love - you are using all your energies just to survive.

BB

[Mariposa De La Luna]

Your needs for survival have to be met before yoou can love.

I'm reading this book on the Chakras. This isn't gospel but, starting with your lowest chakra as the first, it says you need to meet your basic needs before you start working with your Chakras and letting the energy flow. The first chakra is the grounding chakra, the chakra of manifestation. Before you can ground properly the basic needs of food, shelter and others like sleep have to be met. It is instinctual that these activities dominate our consciousness until they are met. Eating and sleeping are grounding activities in themselves. So after we have our needs met, grounded and the first chakra is opened then the second Chakra, that of love, can become active.

[threenorns]

...and here i was, thinking how bright Maslow was, LOL!!!

look up Maslow's "Heirarchy of Needs" -- it's the exact same thing you just said.

bottom line is, it's all well and good to ramble on about love, forgiveness, and the well of all, but the bottom line is, it's survival first -- love is a luxury when you have to decide which of your too-numerous children must die so the others can live.

having said that, there's no excuse for any G7 parent to watch their kids starve to death: there are so many social service agencies (united way, red cross, salvation army, saint vincent de paul, goodwill, children's aid, the local church's ladies auxiliary, etc) that it's easy to feed kids on a zero budget. okay, they won't get steak and maybe they'll be heartily sick of KD or PB&J, but they'll be fed.

it then follows that there's no excuse for G7 countries NOT to promote love for one's fellows, and there's no reason not to forgive those countries in such dire straits that they must sacrifice some so the rest can survive, or must be reduced to eating things we normally wouldn't consider as food sources (domestic animals, roaches, etc).

[stray mutinous thought: considering how many G7 ppl are overweight, and how many ppl in the third world are starving, i think *something* should be done to redress the caloric balance!]

[tigger759]

Well that's hard as my hubby and i have lived living bearly making it week to week. To where we are now and i have to say i'm thankful for a wonderful family and our health. But i have to say i can live with it and with out the extras. yeah they are nice but sometimes they cause problems and some don't understand NO.
So once my basics are covered we can go out for that ice cream!!! YEAH!!!

[Spirahl]

I'm a very "make-do with what you have" type of person. Not that I don't have wants, but fulfilling all of them is not central to my happiness. I'm grateful for what I've been given.