Chapter 1 Summary and Analysis

Voluntary Poverty and the Monopoly of Values

Today's economic structure is rigged toward the relatively few super wealthy. The power intrinsic in that wealth is able to establish society's values—values adhered to by that sparse population—which in turn are relegated to the masses and become entrenched in society. The "success" of these super-rich create the goals or values that are thought to be ideal and become the benchmark for living the "good life." Not only is there a monopoly on the major portion of money, the accompanying values have become part of the package and have stolen the virtuous aspirations of the culture.

The only way that hunger for the mostly empty goals can be thwarted is by the presentation of alternative ideas and values. In "The Other America," Michael Harrington cites the virtue of choosing poverty...