Monday, January 16, 2017

Careful How You Count

When anything is reduced to a number, something is lost. Numbers are incredibly powerful communication tools, but they oversimplify. Someone may live their lives hand to mouth, but have very big hands, a very big mouth and no savings. They will be rich, but have no capital wealth. A Yogi may live in an ashram off very little. Teaching and living simply. She will be rich, but have no material wealth. A friend tells of Lesotho where life is impoverished when measured in numbers,  but where they are rich in relational wealth. Global Economic Inequality is falling. Poorer countries, especially in South-East Asia, have been catching up rapidly. That doesn't matter much to local inequality. We care a lot more about our neighbours. Numbers are best thought of as questions, not answers.

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