If you live in Western Sullivan County, you’re accustomed to long drives and finding ways to fill them. A long drive back and forth from a doctor’s appointment or a run to the DMV is prime time to catch up on the 70 bajillion podcasts that friends have recommended. 

So it was that I was taking the Monticello exit to get on 17B when a recent listen took a curious turn. 

This particular episode was focused on what the financial expert/podcast guest refers to as “budget culture.” To sum it up as quickly as I can, the idea is that society has a particular obsession with the idea that we need to prioritize squirrelling money away “for a rainy day.” 

This, the guest argued, has made most Americans’ relationship with personal finance one that’s soaked in shame and fear. We feel ashamed when we can’t (or don’t) save “enough,” even when the circumstances of our lives make doing so impossible. We internalize that shame, rather than, say, examining the societal issues that cause so many of us to live paycheck to paycheck, unable to set aside that rainy day fund. 

Equally damaging? We then judge others when we decide they’re not saving “enough,” whether we know their circumstances or not. 

It’s a long and nuanced conversation, and if you’re a podcast fan, I recommend pulling up the Culture Study episode on “budget culture” to really dig into her take on why we should focus less on personal wealth accumulation and more on pooled resources.  

Somewhere along the way, you’ll find the section that raised my hackles.

Dubious as I’d been going in, the guest had worn down my skepticism and forced me to admit that I’ve both judged myself for not saving and judged others. 

Admitting when I’m wrong is a healthy part of growth, after all. 

But then the guest mentioned she’s wary of sharing her beliefs with her neighbors because, well, she lives in a small town. The implication was that small town folk are never going to buy into the idea that pooled resources are more important than personal wealth accumulation. 

Perhaps you agree with her. You work hard for your money, you save, and that’s the way it ought to be. Period.

But here in Sullivan County, as in small towns across the country, pooling resources is at the very heart of who we are.

Where else but in the country do you preface a long trip — like the very one I was on while listening to this podcast — with a message to a neighbor or friend asking if they need anything while you’re out and about?

Where else but in the country might you open your front door on a summer morning to find a small pile of tomatoes and zucchini with a note “Have way too many this year. Enjoy!”

Where else but in the country do you place a call for help to 911 and have a dozen volunteers on your door in minutes?

Life in the country is a bit like kindergarten. Sometimes we struggle with the concept of ownership, but in the end, we learn it’s better to share.