An Experiment Living on $5 a Day
Cody Birkey
Category: CONNECTING WITH GOD
PURCHASE THIS CLIP: Individual Clip
A while back, Mark Scandrette started challenging his faith community to practice the way of Jesus through simple experiments. The next three week’s videos will highlight some of these experiments. I’ve got to say that I’m a huge fan of Mark and how he approaches faith. His brand new book, Practicing the Way of Jesus, beautifully captures this unique approach to faith. I’d highly recommend it to those looking for a fresh new way to practice faith with others! This video will give you a taste of what to expect and helps unpack the whole idea of experimentation in faith.
DISCUSSION TOPICS:
Have you ever participated in an “experiment” similar to Cody’s? If so, tell us about it! What did you learn? Was learning through experimentation helpful?
Agg, I dunno, I’m not hugely a fan of taking time out to make yourself poor/go without shoes/sleep on the street for a night. Cos ultimately you know it is going to end, right? Poor people don’t have that luxury.
I think it is kinda insulting, to be really honest.
Isn’t the value is directly related to the intention? I think there is less value in the experiment if the intention is to ‘understand the poor’ versus fasting something to better understand yourself.
I appreciate what Cody shared about his experiment in living on $5/day. We are a consumer society and not consuming is very hard. Everything around us encourages us to spend our money. From what Cody shared, I would say this was a real wake-up call for him. It has raised his awareness of how he spends his time and money. From my point of view, I would say Cody is “awake” now and it is informing his choices.
Can he maintain this awareness long term? I don’t know. I’m guessing it is his intention to continue this mindfulness.
I appreciate that he was faithful in honoring his commitment to live on $5/day. He did not violate it when it became uncomfortable. To me that shows integrity and character.
For me, there was a little disconnect between how the context for this video was set up and what Cody shared. How does this tie back to “practicing the way of Jesus”?
Which brings me back to Joe’s comment – Yes, I agree poor people don’t have the luxury of knowing it is going to end when I say it ends.
I don’t think what Cody shared relates to his trying to “experience poverty” – instead, it felt like living on a budget that you have created and are choosing to follow. Notice, Cody did not say he gave up his apartment (furnishings), his phone, or make a dramatic lifestyle change. He didn’t sell anything to generate income. He still had his job to go to, etc.
But using only $5/day for daily expenses, required him to make choices that had not been required of him before. Well done, Cody.
I get $2 day allowance, and I feel pretty rich. But I don’t live in a big city. I cut my own hair. I don’t eat out much. I commute on a Harley or a bicycle when I have to, but I can work from home most days. So while I appreciate the effort here, it hardly seems like identifying with the poor, at least to this small town suburban boy. It seems more like an exercise in living more simply, which is worth the effort all by itself (for a lot of other reasons). Identifying with the poor would be better accomplished by befriending some folks who are ACTUALLY POOR. But this could, obviously, not be a 40 day experiment from which you could emerge and return to your own way of life. This would be something far more permanent and life changing, I think.
Still, I like the idea of intentionally living outside your comfort zone, even if only for 40 days. Seems like a really good spiritual practice, like fasting. Thanks for the story.
I think the video is great. If anything, I think “poor” should be in quotes. I don’t think Cody was saying that when he sees a homeless man on the street he can now say, “Bro, I know exactly what you are going through – been there.” He says that he thinks about what he spends now. We are the wealthiest nation in the world, and yet we are ravaged by debt. We live way beyond our means because we think everything is a necessity – that we are entitled to everything. But he learned what it meant to make hard choices, missing birthday parties, time with friends, etc. A huge number of people live like what Cody experienced every day, without choice. I did for several years. We had no money for anything other than the necessities. Were we poor? Depends on the definition. I would say no because we had shelter, food, clothes, and everything else we needed. But when friends went out to eat, we couldn’t go with them (we tried, by the way, to go and just not order anything – try doing that a few times in a row and see how awkward it gets – the “I’m not hungry” line only gets you so far). Through that experience, I learned the same things Cody did:
1) It made me a better consumer. I learned what I really need and how much I actually valued “stuff”
2) It made me aware of cultural issues for those below the poverty line. The unhealthiest living is the cheapest – fast food, processed food, etc beats out fresh vegetables and ingredients every time for cost and convenience. Something that’s important when a single mom is working two jobs to support her kids.
3) It made me a better friend. Now that we are no longer in that situation, I am much more sensitive to friends’ situations. I listen for cues and cast my vote for inexpensive options, for example.
Great video. And kudos, Cody, for sticking it out.
Hey guys – I did a poor job setting this one up. Yes, my understanding is that Cody (and some others involved with reIMAGINE) did this experiment intending to gain a better understanding of what Jesus meant when he said “Blessed are you who are poor”, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Cody was trying to understand poverty, nor was this articulated in Cody’s clip. I think ReIMAGINE’s approach to the whole “experiment” thing will make more sense if you watch this clip about Mark’s book.
These practices Mark discusses in his book remind me of Barbara Brown Taylor’s book Altar in the World. She asks the reader to consider the practice of being lost – a risk – to remember what it is like to be a stranger in a strange land. Practices like these are a conditioning of one’s heart so that our daily responses actually have a chance of being both authentic and selfless.
Yeh, see what you are saying about being a better consumer, better friend, more aware… Our family recently went on vacation and held ourselves to only taking public transportation in San Diego/Coronado… It was totally doable. We saw things drivers wouldn’t bother to see. At one point, the train was rushed with about 100 security officers, all checking to see if we had tickets, and penalizing the poor and homeless riders who didn’t and were trying to ride free. It was seriously like a raid, a bit scary for our kids.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that there are practices that I wish more people would care to do… People of privilege. To see what’s really out there, what the world is like in another’s shoes. Perhaps it would generate more understanding about the guy standing on the corner with a sign, and slower conclusions about the guy who’s late to work… Just sayin…