Reconciling Scarcity for Abundance

When we think of the word ‘abundance’ we tend to think of it as the opposite of scarcity. However, contrary to this belief, abundance is not merely the opposite of scarcity.

Abundance is instead, the emergent paradigm that reconciles the thesis and the anti-thesis of scarcity. In other words, we have to travel through scarcity to arrive at abundance.

The opposite of scarcity would just end up denying the principles of scarcity, which would just end up generating more scarcity.

Abundance needs scarcity in order to exist.

For example, in the stages of psychological development, we have the egocentric stage, with a strong focus on the ‘I’ and being and doing what you want. In this stage the self expects attention, demands respect and enjoys self to the fullest.

As one progresses to a higher more purposeful stage of psychological development that holds more perspective, so one needs to transcend and include the previous egocentric level.

However, in order to transcend it we don’t end up just adopting its opposite view. This is not to say that one can’t still have a healthy sense of self that demands a degree of respect.

On the contrary, we take the useful structure of the egocentric stage and include it in the higher level of development. As well as having a healthy sense of self, now we incorporate laws, discipline and regulations to build character and moral fibre for societies.

And so we progress as we move up the various levels of psychological development.

So too with scarcity and abundance. We have to go through scarcity to get to abundance. Abundance is not just the opposite of scarcity. First, we have to reconcile and transcend scarcity to go through it and emerge at abundance.