Economic Recovery … addiction number 9
Building on previous posts ...
9. The addiction to short-term gains over long-term ones, whether we're talking about the short-term gain of dollars (in the economic sector), victories (in the military sector), elections (in the government sector), or "butts in seats" (in the religious sector). When we think of how our elected leaders and business leaders were asleep at the wheel, failing to see the current crisis coming and failing to take evasive action if they did ... we know their range of foresight has been pretty small. When we think about how some religious leaders put winning the next short-term battle in their "culture war" over the long-term well-being of larger mission of the church, we see similar patterns. The issue, though, isn't simply to blame others: it's to face our own need for recovery, because we're all caught in this addiction cycle.
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beautiful reflections … on being broke
bob carlton offers beautiful reflections on the economic crisis here ... he captures what i've been trying to write about lately in my posts on two kinds of recovery he says ...
We are broke, something dawning through the breaks, a path forcing it way through the very cracks, new life breaking free.
don't miss the andy goldsworthy photo at the bottom of the page ... perfect.
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Just when I’m about to get discouraged …
I recently completed the "crash course" in economics I mentioned a few days ago. It resonated so strongly with my research for Everything Must Change ... and it also left me feeling pretty overwhelmed by the gravity of the problems we face in the "suicide machine" we've created.
Then my friend Shane Claiborne sent me this link Just under 3 minutes of brilliance and encouragement about what's possible if we avoid being ostriches (with our heads in the sand) or chicken-littles (running around in a panic). It's a contemporary example of turning swords into plowshares ... creating a farm in the inner city.
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Sign me up …
I have been in several important conversations lately with friends who agree that the time has come to plan and launch a world-wide, interfaith, abolition movement - to abolish nuclear weapons. Obviously, the moral reasons for such an abolition movement make tremendous sense, but now the political realities and economic logic are falling in line as well. Both Presidents Bush and President Clinton have been committed to reducing nuclear weapons, and abolition of nuclear weapons was a dream of Ronald Reagan as well. Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former secretaries of state, along with William Perry, a former secretary of defense, and Sam Nunn, a former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee have all come forward in favor of a sane plan to make nuclear weapons history.
This is something I expect to be involved with in any ways I can in the years ahead. Here are some links if you're interested ...
An article from Faith and Public Life...
Faithfulsecurity.org ... people of faith addressing this issue ...
globalzero.org ... political will being mobilized on the issue ...
Psalm 20:7 says ... "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm."
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Economic Recovery, cont’d
I suggested in a recent posting that whenever you hear the words "economic recovery," you should think of two meanings:
Economic Recovery 1: Getting things back to the way they were before our current economic crisis
Economic Recovery 2: Facing our addictions and seeking to be restored to sanity.
Then I mentioned six specific addictions:
1. Our addiction to fossil fuels. If you want to get a feel for what this means, spend less than 8 minutes watching this:
And then check out the two subsequent videos for more info ...
2. Our addiction to weapons. Many of the people who worry about big government don't seem to worry about "big military," but consider these words from Republican President (and General) Dwight Eisenhower:
3. Our addiction to fear. Fear raises money and votes like nothing else ...
4. Our addiction to consumption (more stuff, never enough) ... living beyond our means. More on this here.
5. Our addiction to a single bottom line. More on this here.
6. Our addiction to easy answers. It's so nice when a complex world can be addressed - without thinking - by a few simple ideological slogans. After all, thinking is hard work and sometimes leads to uncomfortable discoveries.
I'd like to mention two more addictions that have come to mind.
7. Our addiction to debt. More here ...
8. Our addiction to bigger, more, faster ... This was a key theme of my book Everything Must Change
In an upcoming post, I'd like to imagine what a recovery program might look like for some or all of these addictions ...
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