"Is it really about your well-being, when you spend money on wellness?"

Transcript:

Hien 0:00

Hi, everybody, it's Hien here and just want to share some thoughts that I have. So, you know, I have been reading bell hooks, I have been reading, "Feminism is for Everybody." And this originally came out in 2000, so over 20 years ago, and I will be honest, like it's a really small book. And it is so simple, but I am maybe like, halfway through. And the reason why is because, like every section, or like, even within a chapter, like even every few paragraphs has just been really blowing my mind. So I need to like, take breaks, like really let it sink in, and kind of reflect on how I see so much of what she talks about in the book in the world today, even though it's like, it's 20 years later. And so there's so much relevant relevance to what she has to say. And so, if you don't know, that particular book by bell hooks, "Feminism is for Everybody." She talks about feminism, and also has a critique on white feminism, and looks at feminism from many different lenses, like different aspects of feminism and gives a little bit of like the history of like, how it started out. And then like what it has devolved or evolved into, and sort of like, insight on how to like, you know, get it back on track, to kind of-- the goal of feminism being a really liberatory movement, and not something that's under the constraints of like imperialism and capitalism and white supremacy and all that. And so, I wanted to read a quote that I had found in one of the chapters, and it's something that I feel like I see everywhere today, it's a very simple quote, but I've been thinking about it for weeks now. So bell hooks says, "When women work to make money could to consume more, rather than to enhance the quality of our lives on all levels. Work does not lead to economic self-sufficiency. More money does not mean more freedom, if our finances are not used to facilitate well-being."

Hien 2:43

"More money does not mean more freedom, if our finances are not used to facilitate well-being." And that really stuck with me. Because I think about like my own spending habits, and how, you know, I, first of all, I really don't make a lot of money. But when I do make money, I think about how I am inclined to spend it. And I wish I could say that, like, Oh, I'm really good with how I spend my money. And I really spend it to facilitate the well-being of myself and my community. But it's not really all true. I think that I definitely find that when I make more money or when I have money, there is this tie in with wanting to consume things just to consume things. And you know, I am someone who, especially when I was younger, I used to like joke with my friends that I am like a shopaholic, and like I'm addicted to shopping and spending money. And so I really think about that, and how, you know, for many of us, that's like, kind of normalized.

Hien 3:51

That's the like, #MaterialGworl that we kind of see on like, TikTok and social media, of like, just wanting to spend and consume. And it's definitely something that I think it's hard to escape. And you know, it's if you're also like me in that way, and like many other people that in that way, you know, it is not your fault. But I just think it's really interesting because I'm like, wow, yeah, 20 years later, 20 years later, since bell hooks wrote this, I still feel it deeply and I still have to like remember that like she says more money does not mean more freedom... If I'm not using my finances in a way to facilitate well-being.

Hien 4:35

And I also think on another layer is that maybe for some people facilitating well-being they think it is like #SelfCare. Like I'm going to spend a lot of money like, you know, on like retreat like a wellness retreat, or to take some classes, or you know, to do something. And I also think about how sometimes we lie to ourselves and say that that is us taking care of our well-being, but it's not, it's actually us just consuming more. Like, I'm really thinking about that right now. And I also think about how I might inadvertently promote that, right? Because I, you know, have a yoga business. And so, I do encourage, because I'm a business owner that you know, if you want to practice yoga, meditation, mindfulness, to spend money doing that with me.

Hien 5:35

And so I guess this this question of like: Is it really about your well-being, when you spend money on wellness? How much of it is really about your well-being, and you know, it aligning with your values? And how much of it may just be consuming to consume? And so that's something that like, really hit with hit me, and it's really making me think, because I think, part of this idea of, you know, using our finances to facilitate well-being, I see that as more than just on ourselves, you know. Yes, it is to ourselves, but then it has, it really also has to be within our community. And like creating networks of, you know, mutual aid, and, and sharing our finances, sharing our power, share our resources. So that's just something that's been on my mind that I just wanted to share. And I just figured it would be quicker for me to say what I'm thinking than to try to write a long, like, email about it. And so that's all I have for today. It's just a lovely quote by bell hooks, and I'm still reading the book, "Feminism is for Everybody." And just trying to like really digest it slowly. So yeah, thank you for listening.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai