Scarcity or Abundance?

In my previous post I wrote about re-wiring for new, more relevant systems in the realm of mindset. In this post I would like to explore how our mindset has shaped the systems that we have in place today, and how we can begin to re-frame this mindset to enable us to build systems for the future.

The predominant mindset in place since the start of the industrial revolution has been one of scarcity. What is a scarcity mindset? A scarcity mindset is driven by the assumption of never enough. It therefore seeks to maximize profit at any given turn regardless of consequence. If it sees an opportunity for reward, then it will work to fulfill a logic or line of thinking to maximize that reward.

This particular ideology has shaped the economy since the start of the 1800's. The age of the 'ascent of humanity' has been driven by a vampire-like thirst for economic growth with faster machines, new chemical manufacturing processes, and the transition from wood and other bio-fuels to coal and oil as a means to satisfy this insatiable thirst for growth.

The scarcity mindset which has driven the need for endless growth is built on the logic of 'to get.' This logic of 'to get' has been built on the premise of satisfying shareholder value. And because of this perceived scarcity, resources have been exploited, debt has increased and climate change is now a very real phenomenon.

Rich countries or organizations have continued to get rich at the expense of other countries whose resources have been ravaged and whose politicians are the sole benefactors of such industry. However, this has taken us to a significant point in our evolution. We are now starting to feel the effects of this limited mindset.

A series of crisis moments (with ever shortening time spans between each one) are causing people to question some of these assumptions. The internet has opened up information channels and people's knowledge of such vast inequalities and environmental dangers is becoming more widespread. However, we tend to think of these crisis moments in isolation as opposed to connecting them to the greater whole.

Through this process of awakening, we have the opportunity to change the way we think, to shift our mindsets from scarcity to abundance. An abundant mindset takes the focus away from endless growth for solely my own benefit and asks how can we all work together for the good of the whole.

Our systems are teetering on the edge of collapse and the warning signs are there for all to see; the financial crisis of 2008, peak debt, peak oil and of course climate change. I think it's time we started to heed these warnings so we can begin to work for a better future.

Sure, we need to work at changing our own mindsets first and foremost, but a part of this will be coming together to see how we can co-create the kinds of systems that will result in sustaining our own existence as well as the planet we live on. What mindset assumptions are driving your behavior? Are these assumptions reinforcing limit or abundance?