Multidimensional Poverty

 Multidimensional Poverty: My new word for the day. 

As I surf the web, my 🏄🏼‍♂️ surfboard often bumps into things that tweak my interest. One topic that has always intrigued me is poverty. I have spent a lot of time studying, experiencing, and experimenting with this complex issue. The definition of poverty, ever since childhood, had puzzled me and piqued my interest.

"Helping" a neighbor dry rice.

Growing up in Taiwan in the 1960s, I saw poverty everywhere mixed in with a small percentage of great wealth.

Despite my parents' missionary salary being considered very poor by American standards, we lived like kings compared to most of the Chinese around us. I never felt deprived but, on the contrary, reviled in my richness of experiences.

How my 3 sisters and brother got around in Taiwan.

Even my Chinese friends, who were ten times poorer than us, enjoyed life and had fun without realizing they were disadvantaged.

At 19, I decided to undertake an experiment that would span half a century. Could one intentionally live below the monetary income poverty line without experiencing poverty?
With 51 years of testing in various settings, from big cities to small towns, rural areas to cramped apartments, in places such as Japan, Pakistan, San Francisco, Chicago, South Carolina, Florida, Wisconsin, and more, I can confidently answer with a resounding "Yes!" In my publications, I go into more detail on how this was done.

Now, what is this Multidimensional Poverty the pundits talk about? According to the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, poverty cannot be measured solely by income. They say that people can be income-poor but not necessarily multidimensionally poor, and vice versa. They also emphasize that money alone cannot solve economic poverty or deprivation.

Unfortunately, the main emphasis is looking at people who are not well off because of low monetary income. It is progress looking at what makes people what makes them Multidimensional poor, but I think a more positive and helpful way is to look at what people are doing that makes them Multidimensional rich.

They also state. “Money does not always reduce economic poverty or deprivation.“ Yep, so why is that always the emphasis? Being a Frugal Prosumer does a much better job of reducing economic poverty or deprivation.

Our solution addresses the limitations of standard one-dimensional income measurements by encompassing a broader range of factors. These factors are detailed in our 7 Pillars of the Frugal Prosumer. We addressed how to escape Multidimensional Poverty in our 7 Pillars of the Frugal Prosumer.

• Disempowerment ~~Pillar #1 Spiritual

• Disempowerment ~~Pillar #2  Psychological

• Shame ~~Pillar #2 Psychological

• Lack of education Pillar #3 Education Why we are trying to get information out and started our own school

• Poor health and nutrition Pillar #4 Health

• Lack of adequate sanitation and clean water ~~Read about our saw-dust toilet ~~Pillar #5 Frugal Prosumer 

• Poor quality of work ~~Read about our philosophy of UnIncome familiar to all “poor” people~~Pillar #5 Frugal Prosumer

• Bad housing conditions ~~Frugal Prosumer know how to overcome this ~~Pillar #5 Frugal Prosumer

• Inadequate living standards Pillar #6 Being a Frugal Prosumer

• The threat of violence ~~Pillar #7Security

• Violence ~~Pillar #7 Security

• Social exclusion ~~we call it lack of One-Another ~~Base of all 7 Pillars

• And more

Am I Multidimensional Rich yet?