Counting On … – Page 11

Counting on … day 125

6th August 2025

The principles of the Franciscan Third Order says with regard to living simply that we ‘avoid luxury and waste, and regard our possessions as being held in trust for God’ and be ‘concerned more for the generosity that gives all, rather than for the value of poverty in itself.’

Being willing to cheerfully let go of possessions rather then clinging onto them and being gladly generous, is a positive way of living more sustainably within the limits of the Earth’s resources. It would also develop characteristics that would be attractive to others, encouraging others to want to live a life of simplicity rather than one that accumulates more and more possessions.

Counting on … day 124

5th August 2025

Living simply, living with enough, at a personal level is working out (either in advance or ‘on the hoof’) what resources I need to meet my and my family’s needs. There would then, likely, be a surplus I could share with others – eg fruit from the garden, money, un-needed clothes, books – or simply not consume – eg water, electricity, air flights etc. Sharing with others I can do through charity shops and free cycle, through charities, through gifts to others.

Counting on … day 123

4th August 2025

It is an old slogan but still pertinent: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. If we are to live sustainably within the Earth’s finite resources, if we are to live simply – with joy in enough – then reducing what we consume is a good starting point. Ditto reusing what we have.

And recycling as the last resort.

That said, I do recycle cardboard boxes rather then hoarding them for future use. During Covid whilst so many things were being bought on line, people were hanging onto the boxes, which led to a shortage of recycled card with which to make new boxes. I guess there would be logic in having. Reusable boxes – as for example, with Riverford vegetables boxes.

Counting on … day 122

1st August 2025

The third aim of the Third Order of St Franciscan addresses the issue of wealth, income and advantage so as to focus on living simply.

“The first Christians surrendered completely to our Lord and recklessly gave all that they had, offering the world a new vision of a society in which a fresh attitude was taken towards material possessions. This vision was renewed by Saint Francis when he chose Lady Poverty as his bride, desiring that all barriers set up by privilege based on wealth should be overcome by love. This is the inspiration for the third aim of the Society, to live simply.

“Although we possess property and earn money to support ourselves and our families, we show ourselves to be true followers of Christ and of Saint Francis by our readiness to live simply and to share with others. We recognise that some of our members may be called to a literal following of Saint Francis in a life of extreme simplicity. All of us, however, accept that we avoid luxury and waste, and regard our possessions as being held in trust for God.

Personal spending is limited to what is necessary for our health and well-being and that of our dependents. We aim to stay free from all attachment to wealth, keeping ourselves constantly aware of the poverty in the world and its claim on us. We are concerned more for the generosity that gives all, rather than the value of poverty in itself. In this way we reflect in spirit the acceptance of Jesus’ challenge to sell all, give to the poor, and follow him.” (1)

Living simply is about sharing what we do have, avoiding luxury and attachment to wealth, and using/ spending what we do have in a way that we would happily declare to God, aligning our use of resources according to the will of God – including environmental issues.

https://tssf.org/about-the-third-order/the-principles/

Counting on … day 121

31st July 2025

Tomorrow sees the start of Amazon Free August. Like Plastic Free July, the aim is to encourage us to focus on how what we consume impacts both the environment and social wellbeing. Amazon is deeply unethical on many grounds – not least because it encourages us to buy more and more stuff, but also because of its poor track records on paying taxes and treating its workforce fairly.

It is possible to be a consumer without relying on Amazon:- https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/ethical-campaigns/boycott-amazon/shopping-without-amazon

A further thought that covers all online shopping, are we happy with the way that on line shopping is changing the landscape – with increasing numbers of large warehouses and diminished numbers of high street shops – and how that change has a knock on effect for where people work, for socialising and social cohesion?

Counting on … day 120

30th July 2025

Wealth too plays a part in what is ‘enough’. I’m in my sixties, my husband a decade older. We live comfortably on his pension – but we can do so because we own the house we live in; we have never not had enough and so benefit from good health; we both get joy from walking, swimming and cycling; we both have had good educations and appreciate the enjoyment of reading and writing; we have over the years accumulated good quality clothes and shoes and so have little need to spend on what we wear; we have good networks of friends and socialise through activity groups; we have strong family relationships; we are both active church goers. Not all of these are the direct benefits of wealth but wealth has certainly helped shape of lives and health and wellbeing and allows us to do things that bring us joy for free.

Other people of a similar age may not have these benefits nor feel the security net that wealth brings. For them an income that allows for joy in enough would be more than I and my husband need.

The bar chart below shows how disproportionately wealth is spread and the considerable contribution that stems from having property (and that will increase the closer one lives to London or other property hot spots) and having a private pension.

Counting on … day 119

29th July 2025

If there is a minimum level of pay for a dignified standard of living, is there a maximum level of pay that optimises happiness?

Research from Raisin (a financial organisation that provides a platform for savings and investment products) in its report ‘Does money buy happiness?’ suggests a figure of about £35,000 pa.(1)

Whilst BBC’s Money Box programme suggests that, whilst a higher income can equal greater happiness, there is a cut off point at £120,000 beyond which the gain seems negligible. (2)

(1) https://www.raisin.co.uk/newsroom/does-money-buy-happiness/

(2) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1yxp6zSJHfjQh9TMx0j8LPL/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-be-happy

Counting on … day 118

28th July 2025

What would Joy in Enough look like in daily life?

For some of us, it might mean spending less, but for others it might more practically mean simply having enough money for daily living.

The following video clip sets out to answer ‘How much is enough?”

Date from MIS is used by the Living Wage Foundation to calculate the ‘real living wage’ – a voluntary wage scale that seek to ensure people are paid enough for their work to cover the actual cost of living. Employers who pay this minimum level can sign up as accredited members of the foundation. Such employers cover a diverse range of businesses – Lush, Oxfam, Brixton Brewery, St George’s NHS Trust, Aviva, Channel 4, The Old Vic etc.

https://www.livingwage.org.uk/what-real-living-wage

Counting on … day 117

25th July 2025

Today I’d like to share the Joy in Enough confession as a good starting point for thinking about how we live sustainably within the Earth’s limits.

“Your earth is exploited, and we are complicit in its exploitation. Species are lost, soil erodes, fish stocks decline, resources dwindle. We confess that many of us have taken too much, and not considered the needs of future generations.”

For the full confession see https://joyinenough.org/2019/01/29/the-joy-in-enough-confession/

Counting on … day 116

24th July 2025

Today is Earth overshoot day – the day in the calendar when the world’s population has consumed one whole year’s worth of the Earth’s renewable resources and services (eg soil fertility for crops, clean water, fish stocks, the delicate balance of gases in the atmosphere, etc).

Our current patterns of consumption are unsustainable – they are also inequitable for whilst countries like the UK have vastly consumed more than is sustainable, part of our consumption has been at the expense of poorer nations who do not even get the chance to consume their fair share of the Earth’s resources and services,

From here on we are eating into wellbeing of future generations.

https://www.overshootday.org