As a continuation of this series…
In the setting of nature and the species that live within it, food, water, and the resources used to provide shelter are sourced from the local environment. These species utilize what is available to them in their local habitat.
Now, as humans are a vastly more complex species than others, our lives are no longer really as simple as only being guided by the pursuit of basic food, shelter, water, sustenance, and happiness. We have created endless supply chains for items that sustain us and contribute to the building of our shelters. Even some of the most elemental of products that we consume are shipped from thousands of miles overseas.
Let’s start by breaking this down a bit. Are our needs really that much more complex than those of other species, when you hash them down to the most fundamental level?
In a general sense, I don’t feel that they are. We are driven by the same needs, desires, and instincts as many other mammal species. We need food, water, and security; love, and contentment. Those are the essential driving forces that make us tick. They are entirely evident if you peel back all the layers of the human condition.
The thing that does make us different from other species is that we have been able to harness our creativity and the power of ideas. This has only been enhanced throughout time by our unparalleled ability to communicate with each other with precision. We have evolved into incredibly intelligent beings who have essentially been able to create a complex world around us that caters to manifestations of all of the above needs, desires, and instincts.
Now I won’t go too deep here into this sort of philosophy on a money blog, but I will extract some things that can be learned from our inherent origin as species who emanated from nature.
And again, I am looking at the natural world and its origins in a general sense which is not intended to be exclusionary. I feel that religion and evolution can go hand-in-hand and are compatible. I do not disbelieve in one or the other. Each is an interpretation of the world we see around us and each has its own validity.
There are a couple important things that I feel can be learned from examining the natural world and how most species utilize resources from their local habitat…
Making the most out of what is available. Going back to the example of birds. They utilize the natural resources available to them. They build nests out of whatever they can find, and they certainly make the most of it! So reflect upon this a bit in relation to your household in general. Are there resources around you with which you can be creative and use to your advantage? How often do you find that you no longer want a certain item that is perfectly useful or in good condition? Is your first thought to just discard it in the trash? Is there something useful that could be gained from it instead?
Our commercialized society has conditioned us and ingrained in many of us the notion that we must always have new and “upgraded” things, and that we should not settle for hand-me-downs, repaired items, or things that are older. And of course that makes sense from the view of the manufacturer or producer – they must create a continual market for products somehow!
And this insatiable thirst for the latest and greatest is essentially the antithesis of the notion that we should make the most out of the resources around us. In our homes, we are trained that things are disposable and to be used only once. In many areas, we basically have little choice about where the things we buy originate from. A huge percentage of household wares are manufactured in other countries. Just a random stroll through a department store makes it evident that there is a low number of items available for purchase that were made in the United States.
In my opinion, from a household level, practicing frugality in general is a very large contributor toward a possible remedy to these habits, which can only help toward a more sustainable economy and environment. This sense of frugality will be discussed in my next post in this series. But what about society and the economy in general?
We have shipped hundreds of thousands of jobs overseas, since somehow the corporations figured that instead of utilizing the skilled workforce it already has within the borders of the country it does business in, that it can profit even further by utilizing labor in other countries. That is not making the most out of what is local.
And the same goes for the raw materials needed to produce the manufactured items. Most of the time I would guess that the least expensive materials are utilized in the manufacturing process, using elements and substances from foreign lands. Now of course, saving money isn’t a bad thing, but in many ways, I think the overall concept of that becomes a lazy crutch for many corporations seeking to take the easy way out and not making the most out of what is available nearest them.
So am I saying that corporations and the way our economy works is entirely bad? No. Should we eliminate global trade? No. We need exports to help flourish. What I do feel though is that corporations, investors, and businesses need to step back a bit from outsourcing jobs to other countries, and also need to utilize resources local to them and make the most of them. Why can’t we employ more of our own citizens? Why can’t more products be manufactured here? I don’t think it’s for a lack of resources…
Check back soon for the continuation of this post, and a currently applicable example of how using the principle of how natural systems utilize resources to their maximum possible benefit can potentially create jobs and independence.
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