Taking It Home
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. — Buddha
In Today's Workshop...
We explored what is meant by abundance and scarcity. We thought about when we have enough and how we can appreciate our abundances by giving to others. We talked about the way we do not all have equal access to resources and what people with privilege can do to balance the scales.
Stolen Soup Story
Read other folktales from West Africa at All Folk Tales.
Appreciating Our Abundance
- Share the questions on the questionnaire with your family and friends. Compare answers as you feel comfortable.
- One way to acknowledge and appreciate our abundance is by being thankful. Thankfulness can take different forms. What would a spiritual practice of thankfulness look like? Have you met anyone who answers the question "How are you?" with "I'm blessed"? Reminding yourself daily that you are blessed with abundance, is one way to make appreciation of abundance a spiritual practice. Some people use prayer and/or meditation. Project Meditation has a written meditation on gratitude and BeliefNet has a Gratitude Prayer Archive. About.com has an earth-centered gratitude ritual.
Classism
Some popular books and movies about unequal access to resources and financial disparity include 1979's Norma Rae (directed by Martin Ritt), Grapes of Wrath (1941 movie directed by John Ford, based on the book by John Steinbeck) and Les Miserables (1978 movie directed by Glenn Jordan, based on the book by Victor Hugo). Stand and Deliver (directed by Ramon Menendez, 1988) and Lean On Me (directed by John G. Avildsen, 1989) are two movies about young people who struggle for access to a quality public education. Watch these movies with your friends and discuss.
Do Something.org has information on poverty, homelessness, educational inequality and other issues connected to classism. This website has other information and suggestions for social justice actions you can take that encompass several different areas.