Sunday, 16th November 2014 (North Side, Anguilla) — Over past few months, I’ve closely observed the impact of living in a material world. The focus for most individuals, corporations, organisations, and governments seems to be how much to buy, sell and own. Why are we so obsessed with owning or having things which when we are dead and gone we can no longer hold on to? That is the question I pose to the reading audience.
Keeping up with the Joneses
It appears the Anguillian culture and society of yesteryear has almost vanished. Everyone wants to have the latest, the best and the most expensive of whatever. We no longer share as much with our neighbours, give generously to the poor or provide enough charity for those in less fortunate circumstances. I’m not saying that we don’t do these things at all. Merely that we oftentimes lack compassion in truly giving from our hearts.
Some of us who have plenty begrudgingly give to others or we’re only willing to share a minimum of what we have. We compete to outdo our competitors, neighbours and friends. Others who have little and are without full or part time employment are generous in giving and sharing whatever we have.
As Jesus said in the Holy Bible scriptures (Matthew 5:42 KJV), “Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.” Though God asks us to give, we must use discernment in giving because we cannot afford to give away what is essential to our being well. Daily, I witness how God amazingly gives back to us through others’ hands so much more than we could ever expect to receive. This happens when we give generously from our hearts without expectation of reward or receiving anything in return.
During the last 10 years since I returned to my island home in the Caribbean Sea, I’ve observed throughout Anguilla’s districts how people have built bigger houses, purchasing newer and larger vehicles, taking out loans and mortgages, obtaining credit cards from banks, as well as replicating the same kinds of businesses (restaurants, bars, hair salons, and rental cars). It seems we’ve lost our inventiveness and simpler lifestyles.
With the past decade’s progress, our desires appear to be concentrated on “keeping up with the Joneses”. This saying means we want to have what our neighbours and others have. To keep up with what anyone else possesses isn’t what is always best for our selves or nation. We don’t need to copy someone else’s tastes or styles to show our own uniqueness. Youths don’t have to have the latest brand names to be hip nor do ladies have to have the most up to date fashions to be stylish. Does vanity cause us to want to wear the brand name or can we be satisfied with an off brand product?
We don’t have to go shopping in North American stores like Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom or Macy’s to get the best. TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and even thrift stores and consignment shops offer good buys and quality merchandise for less money. The Goodwill thrift store in downtown Seattle, Washington holds an annual “glitter sale” where you can buy fur coats, genuine pearl necklaces, and fancy attire.
On Anguilla, we can purchase items from smaller boutiques without spending top dollar. We have two thrift stores where we may also acquire what’s needed — Second Chance at St Gerard’s Catholic Church in The Valley and the Anguilla Red Cross at Crocus Hill. Another option to support our local economy and entrepreneurs is buying materials and notions from locally owned fabric stores and having clothes made by our neighbourhood fashion designers, seamstresses and tailors.
It doesn’t really matter if the blouse or pants cost $25 or $180. What matters most is whether or not our budgets can afford to purchase the pieces of clothing at the selling price. Why do we “look down our noses” snubbing someone who attends church service wearing clean jeans pants or a simple frock? The Lord doesn’t care what clothing we wear when we are truly worshipping The Most High Creator God.
Getting in and out of debt
When I was a young career professional working in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, I was intent on buying Italian made leather shoes like Salvatore Ferragamo or Bruno Magli that cost US$250 or more a pair. I bought designer clothing, handbags, jewellery, and made numerous purchases using credit cards. Finally one day, I woke up and realised the futility of my consumerism actions and changed the materialistic attitude that I had that took away my economic freedom.
I located a consumer debt company to give me guidance on how to get out of debt. The organisation charged US$10 to analyse my credit card balances. A report was prepared that advised me on a payment plan to clear up the debt and indicated how long it would take me to do it.
A few years later after relocating to my parents’ residence in the Pacific Northwest to work in the family business, I was able to pay off these debts. I then established a pattern of paying for what I needed or wanted either with cash, cheque or debit card. Anything charged on account was billed to the one and only major credit card that I retained. All credit transactions were paid for in full during the first billing cycle, so there were no balances to accrue finance charges.
Greed and vanity
II believe these changes in our simpler lifestyles and the way we focus on living in a material world centre around greed, vanity and an emptiness we feel in our inner selves. When a person is greedy, he/she wants more and more. When an individual cares more about how he/she looks on the outside, he/she wants the latest fashions, gadgets, cars, furnishings, etc.
There are some materialistic items that rust or erode from the salt air environment in which we live. So we need to replace certain things that become rusty or fall apart and which are no longer repairable. Yet I also see how so much that is still usable is just wasted and thrown away.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to update or revamp what is old or out of style. Doing it in moderation is the key to not being attached to the material world.
Paying more, receiving less
With the present world’s money matters, we cannot afford to keep paying more or higher, exorbitant prices for everything that is a basic necessity such as food and beverages, cooking gas, petroleum, water, electricity, clothing, household furnishings, and so forth. Continuing to pay an interim stabilisation levy that was only supposed to be for a specific period and increased customs duties or other taxes is impractical. Just like paying a high fuel surcharge for electricity makes no sense. Why are we paying to bring fossil fuel from elsewhere instead of using solar or wind energy to harness current or establishing our own fuel depot on island?
Branding and image
Our regional telecommunications companies focus on changing their branding image and upgrading IT systems to draw more customers. Yet existing customers are finding that with this comes a lessening of services, more Internet disconnection times, and telephone calls not going through or being dropped. When a customer enquired if the company would provide some sort of partial refund of monthly fees for the faulty service, the person was told that management is considering it. What is the company considering…how to get the most money from us?
The government wastes thousands of dollars trying to rebrand the captivating slogan that has brought numerous visitors to our shores. Why do we over spend utilising two tourism-marketing firms? Perhaps we could do with one firm alone or have our own marketing done in-house by professional writers and talented marketers who already reside on island. May be we ought to be more creative in utilising local resources and more conservative in our overseas spending. We have a small populace, who’s supporting the public coffers (Treasury), which gives much needed funds to operate these initiatives.
Unequal salaries and low wages
Some government officials who are public servants believe that they should receive uppermost pay. Oftentimes companies reward persons in top-level positions with the highest salaries. Support staff who are the backbone of organisations and perhaps the individuals who do the most ground breaking or grunt work are paid much less than the executives and management. Why do we pay more to some and not equal amounts to all employees regardless of the jobs they do?
Sharing wealth and resources
Taxing the people who are struggling to survive, who have no jobs or only a very minimal income is only making our nation go backwards instead of forwards. Those who have much should give more and those who have less ought to pay a lesser amount. As author Neal Donald Walsh wrote in his book Conversations with God if all the money in the world was divided equally amongst the entire peoples on the planet, then there wouldn’t be any hunger, homelessness, or destitution. So what is it that makes man greedy and want to have it all to him self whilst allowing others to suffer?
The blame game
This attitude of blaming causes and effects on someone else instead of taking responsibility for what we have or have not done is a part of the greed and vanity mentality that too many people are obsessed with holding onto. Anguilla’s election for the people’s representatives in government is coming up in February 2015. It’s a chance for positive change. Yet what we constantly hear is the candidates blaming the opposition party or persons presently in office. Shouldn’t we take a different approach instead of putting the blame (fault) on others? Politicians need to tell the people what are their real intentions if elected to serve. Having realistic plans to implement change makes more sense than slandering other names.
What’s most important?
Nowadays, I have a reduced income that’s less than the amount I earned in my first employed position after I left graduate school at Howard University in 1981. Yet I find my life has much more meaning with less material wealth. Truthfully, I’m rich in all the areas that really count with God — seva (a Sanskrit word meaning “selfless service to others”), spirituality, hope, faith, love, respect, courtesy, integrity, honesty, truthfulness, kindness, and so forth.
I discover that as I age and live longer there isn’t a need for all the materialistic items that I purchased when I was younger. Sure I like the finer things in life, but at this stage what’s most important to me is the growth and development of my spiritual self or soul as one might call the true essence of who I am. Since before I relocated to Anguilla for a second time in 2005, I’ve slowly been sorting through various belongings that I collected from the places I’ve lived and travelled (“downsizing” so to speak). What no longer serves me, has worn out or just isn’t my style anymore, I let go of and either recycle, pass on to someone else for use, or dump in the waste bin for proper disposal at a landfill site.
We must all choose to change and be the instruments of change that we envision, desiring whatever is possible to move our selves and nation forward. May God’s divine grace continue to encourage us to loosen our ties to material things and to live simpler lifestyles that will reduce waste and wantonness!
Kay M. Ferguson is an inspired writer and social commentator who creates word sounds to raise conscious awareness in the Anguilla community and abroad. To link with Kay, e-mail her at anguillawriter@gmail.com or send an e-message via www.facebook.com/kaymferguson.
