The Counterculture Approach to Money
When it comes to personal development and money, I have generally seen two approaches: manifesting money and budget culture. Let’s briefly look at both of these approaches and then I will introduce to you a third, unrefined approach: money activism.
Manifesting Money
It is probably the most popular approach in self-improvement. The core ideology of manifesting money is that you can manifest or attract money by having an abundance mindset. To get this type of mindset, what you have to do is think the right thoughts, feel the feelings of gratitude, and believe that you have already received it. If you do it right, you’ll eventually replace that poverty mindset of yours and money will flow to you in avalanches of abundance. Remember—you’re just one visualization away from Genie flying in on his magic carpet and delivering your well-deserved riches.
Can you sense the sarcasm?
The core problem with manifesting money is that it’s completely delusional and disconnected from truth. You cannot manifest money. There is no “money energy” to tap into. Money is debt. It is literally lent into existence and distributed from and controlled by “the top.”
Money is much like the game of musical chairs. The music starts and you go round and round hoping to get a seat. But the harsh reality is: not everyone gets one. You may think that’s random, but it’s not. The privileged and wealthy have access to seats, and the unfortunate, marginalized, and destitute do not. So what happens is that the ones who are privileged to have a seat gobble up more seats. Then the wealth disparity gap widens.
Budget Culture
Budgeting is the act of obeying a set of rules in hopes of curing financial insecurity. Budgeting is a creation of the personal finance and investment industry that merged with self-help. The idea behind budgeting is that if you can manage and control your finances, i.e., get your act together, then you will eventually find comfort, personal worth, and financial freedom.
The problem with budgeting is the culture that formed around it. Dana Miranda, at Healthy Rich, calls this culture “budget culture.” She defines this culture as, “the damaging set of beliefs around money that—like so-called diet culture does for food and bodies—rewards restriction and deprivation, and promotes an unhealthy and fantastical ideal of financial wellness.”
So here we are again. Like the manifesting money approach, budget culture is about maximizing self interest, in a somewhat sadistic manner, while being ignorant to the realities and injustices of our money system.
Money Activism
Money activism is a counterculture approach to money. The primary objective is to participate in dismantling the current patriarchal and oppressive system of money. It’s no longer about maximizing self interest. It’s no longer about maximizing self interest. The focus is on the qualities of community, sacredness, equality, regeneration, and fairness.
Money activism is rooted in truth, love, and power. Under this ideology, you recognize the harsh realities and injustices of our money system (truth); because of the truth, you have empathy and compassion (love); finally, truth and love move you into action and you want to do something about it (power).
Money activism is not an easy path. The core problem you will face is trying to have a healthy and improved relationship with money in a system that isn’t healthy to begin with. It’s like trying to have a healthy relationship with smoking cigarettes when, in fact, the cigarettes are designed to kill you.
Unlike cigarettes, quitting the money economy is a short rope to destitution; therefore, that’s not a real option. One option you do have is to tread water in both worlds. You play the game of money while doing the best you can to not harm others and nature.
Activism is not only about marching to Washington and protesting, though that may be required of you when the time comes. Any small act that bucks the system is sufficient and will work towards a more beautiful world. Things like gift economics, debt Jubilee, giving for the sake of giving, and breaking the spell of capitalism all contribute to dismantling the current system to allow something more beautiful to emerge.