With the recent killing of George Floyd, the Black Lives Matter protests, as well as the onslaught of COVID-19 globally, it has become more apparentt han ever that we need a new paradigm. — one based on holistic wealth for all. In my book Holistic Wealth: 32 Life Lessons To Help You Find Purpose, Prosperity and Happiness, I state that, "I believe that the single biggest threat to economic stability is income and wealth inequality and imbalances in the world." Despite advances, certain groups still struggle to have basic access to human rights and dignity, and they face systemic barriers prevent the accumulation of wealth. What this means is that Black and Brown people essentially struggle (or have been prevented in many cases) from living a holistically wealthy lifestyle. I further state in my book that. "I believe that if we don't address these issues fiercely and urgently, we will be perpetuating a crisis of massive proportions that will be exacerbated by increased technological advancement and change."
With record debt, divisiveness, disease, and inequalities, we need a whole new paradigm for moving forward. We need a renewed definition of wealth. Not one driven by greed, power, morbid capitalism, and ego. A renewed definition that puts humanity first. One based on holistic wealth for all. We need to create holistically wealthy communities where citizens have equal rights and justice and where law enforcement treats everyone with dignity and respect, essentially what the Black Lives Matter movement has been advocating for. We need an education system that allows children to learn effectively and one that honors their history. A healthcare system that is responsive to the needs of all groups, one that is accessible for all. This is indeed holistic wealth.
Despite advances, certain groups still struggle to have basic access to human rights and dignity, and they face systemic barriers prevent the accumulation of wealth.
The statistics are startling for women of color who are also single moms. As I state in Holistic Wealth:
Women of color head more single-family households, in which they are the main breadwinners, yet they earn less and have lower job prospects. In the US, almost 39 percent of [B]lack families headed by women live in poverty; the rate of poverty is almost 39 percent in Hispanic families headed by women and almost 30 percent in Asian American families headed by women. "Among all other ethnic groups, Native American female-headed families with children had the highest poverty rate. More than two in five (42.6 percent) live in poverty." In an article for the New York Observer (now known as the Observer), I spoke about this "emaciation effect," a phenomenon that affects people of color who have to deal with regular stressors in addition to a lifetime of racial discrimination, which also affects our ability to achieve holistic wealth.
A New Theory Of Change
In order to move forward, we need a new theory of change driven by the points I have outlined above. The new theory of change also embraces the art of recovery from disruption, which my book Holistic Wealth is based on, so that all groups even if they face setbacks in life can bounce back and still achieve their true potential and contribute to driving humanity forward. Dignity for all is a big part of this new paradigm. We need to raise up a whole new generation of holistically wealthy thinkers — who believe in equal rights and justice for all, as well as prosperity for all — not just an elite few and not just limited to one race.
We need to create holistically wealthy communities where citizens have equal rights and justice and where law enforcement treats everyone with dignity and respect, essentially what the Black Lives Matter movement has been advocating for.
The Way Forward – The Holistic Wealth Development Index:
In my book Holistic Wealth, I developed the Holistic Wealth Development Index. Here is an excerpt from the book:
"The Holistic Wealth Development approach is the counter theory we need in a time of urgent human problems and economic and social inequality. The Holistic Wealth Development Index is different from other approaches such as the Human Development reports put forward by the United Nations Development Programme as well as by other pioneers such as Martha Nussbaum in her book Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach. The Holistic Wealth Index is an approach centered in creating resilience after bouncing back from life-changing setbacks, which we all face at some point in life, but it also entails a comparative quality-of-life assessment. My approach is preoccupied not only with the Nussbaumian question of what a person is able to do and become in life but also with how it is possible for a person to bounce back from life-altering setbacks, and how society enables that for the good of all [hu]mankind".
WRITTEN BY
Keisha Blair