Why Scarcity Defines the World we Live in

What is Scarcity?

Scarcity, more than anything else, determines the conditions in which we live. Things that are in abundance determine not only our quality of life but our safety, happiness and ability to access the things we need. Scarcity, on the other hand, defines our struggle, and the things we need to survive. They are what we must fight for, seek and need desperately to live a better, easier or safer life.

Scarcity has changed through the ages, and when it shifts it alters the fabric of society. These shifts mark not only progress but determine whether we are experiencing a revolution or stagnating. Scarcity determines how quickly we progress as it is the bottleneck for development, progress and evolution.

A Brief History of Human Scarcity

100,000 years ago

What was scarce was safety and food. We had evolved to become hunter-gatherers but the hunter could still be hunted. We didn’t have homes or settlements, what was scarce was knowledge and safety. We had yet to develop the sensibilities to set up shop in a specific geographic location, instead choosing to migrate with the season in order to ensure a steady supply of food.