Are morals a luxury of the rich?

I’m quickly learning how much of a life of luxury I’ve had. I may not have had a butler or a personal driver, but I did always have meals, the safety of knowing where I would be living for the foreseeable future and more shoes than one could possibly wear in a month. During my “Washington Era”, I lived pretty simply. I didn’t have internet or cable, I kept a pretty tight budget and tried to avoid frivolous spending. Here in Denver, I am finding those values to be quite helpful. There are not many areas that I have had to cut back due to lack of funds. The biggest difference is food.

You may know that I like food. (Pretty much every aspect of it from planting to cooking to eating. The only part of food I don’t like are the dirty dishes!) And though I kept a modest food budget in Washington, I did allow myself more than a few luxuries. As a house, we have to watch our food budget very closely. We get $2.83 per person per day. (It’s even less than I realize!) We have generally decided that our favorite brand is whatever is cheapest. That usually means that organic produce is out of the picture and generally “things not on sale” are off the list as well. While I would like to make a vote for sustainable food and farming with every food purchase I make, that is simply a luxury I cannot afford right now.

Today at work, one of my co-workers sent us a suggestion for a game to play. It highlights many of the hidden struggles of poverty and just how many luxuries many of us take for granted. How important is your child’s school play? What about doing “the right thing”? Or your health, is health insurance a priority to you? I’ve played this game many times today and it’s amazing how many choices must be made just to survive.

I’d encourage you to check it out: www.playspent.org. It might just change your mind.