Meetings > Meeting Notes > March 15, 2009
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March 15, 2009
Harriet Cooke led a continuation of our February 15 discussion, addressing the "shadow side" of the downturn in our economy. Harriet pointed out that in civilizations where there is a focus on open-heartedness, where there is little disparity between the rich and the poor, wars occur seldom. The shadow side of money is most often equated with greed.
In terms of the shift we all adhere to in IONS, believing in abundance as opposed to scarcity and taking responsibility for the true integrity of our core selves draws us nearer to survival in hard times such as this.
Further, David pointed out that hoarding and splurging occurred to give the downturn longevity after the Great Depression, and that we can learn from that history lesson. Keeping money in circulation by giving (keeping the ego out of it), being conscious of where our money goes, believing that there is enough for all -- these were precepts of sustainability mentioned. We tend to model what we expect, and the too-long-lasting message of the Great Depression was "expect scarcity."
We closed with hearing about the Pachamama symposium March 28 at the Expo Center, where questions such as 1) What can we do about this? 2) Where are we now? 3) What is our next step? will be addressed.
Resources: Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth) by David C Korten.