There has been quite a lot of talk about the economy lately. Perhaps its the upcoming election, perhaps the sub-prime mortgage bubble, or maybe it's because the FDIC has just stated that it may have to borrow money from the federal reserve in order to make good on it's promises. There's a lot of talk on the part of both Barack Obama and John McCain on the policies they would like to implement in order to improve our economy.
The problem I see in all of this is that each candidate wants the government to fix things, so that life can go on as usual for the people in America. I think our economic problems go far beyond a deficit in the government. We are a society of excess and we're consuming all of our resources. Just look at the amount of credit card debt, mortgage debt, consumer debt, student loan debt that we amass as a society. All this in the name of 'getting ahead' and 'living the American dream.' Yes there are unscrupulous practices in the finance industry, but I also think that we as individual consumers need to accept responsiblity for our part. There wouldn't be a subprime mortgage crisis if people hadn't signed up for those loans in the first place.
I believe that our country needs more than a president. We need a genuine moral leader - one who will call the American people to do our part. Even though I'm only one person I'm going to make my contribution - here it is: Stop Consuming So Much!
One of the things that hit most of all during my trip to Nicaragua is that despite the poverty, psychologically the people didn't seem any worse off than we are in the U.S. If you want my honest opinion they were probably healthier in that regard than us. We talk of consuming more and growing our economy in order to improve our quality of life, but I really wonder if we're accomplishing our stated goals. Does the increase in work and resource consumption really improve our quality of life, or is it a zero-sum equation?
A new basic definition of justice out of the Roman Catholic Church is to provide everyone with the minimum requirements necessary to fully participate in the human society. Herein lies the challange I'm laying out for people. How close is your lifestyle to the minimum requirements, and how much of it is excess? As I write this I'll probably have to reevaluate my own life and spending habits. But what would the world look like if we stopped amassing and consuming so much stuff? Perhaps we could do it in a way that truly would improve our quality of life. We might have to reassess what quality of life means - moving away from fancy cars and towards the shear joy of walking or riding a bicycle. Perhaps a better quality of life would include fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink - without all of the toxins that we create constantly.
We are one of the wealthiest societies in the history of the world. The time has come to use that wealth wisely. Rather than amass it, letting everything else be damned, let's conserve our resources, and use our wealth to truly improve the quality of life for all people. To do this, we need to stop consuming so much.
Conor+
The problem I see in all of this is that each candidate wants the government to fix things, so that life can go on as usual for the people in America. I think our economic problems go far beyond a deficit in the government. We are a society of excess and we're consuming all of our resources. Just look at the amount of credit card debt, mortgage debt, consumer debt, student loan debt that we amass as a society. All this in the name of 'getting ahead' and 'living the American dream.' Yes there are unscrupulous practices in the finance industry, but I also think that we as individual consumers need to accept responsiblity for our part. There wouldn't be a subprime mortgage crisis if people hadn't signed up for those loans in the first place.
I believe that our country needs more than a president. We need a genuine moral leader - one who will call the American people to do our part. Even though I'm only one person I'm going to make my contribution - here it is: Stop Consuming So Much!
One of the things that hit most of all during my trip to Nicaragua is that despite the poverty, psychologically the people didn't seem any worse off than we are in the U.S. If you want my honest opinion they were probably healthier in that regard than us. We talk of consuming more and growing our economy in order to improve our quality of life, but I really wonder if we're accomplishing our stated goals. Does the increase in work and resource consumption really improve our quality of life, or is it a zero-sum equation?
A new basic definition of justice out of the Roman Catholic Church is to provide everyone with the minimum requirements necessary to fully participate in the human society. Herein lies the challange I'm laying out for people. How close is your lifestyle to the minimum requirements, and how much of it is excess? As I write this I'll probably have to reevaluate my own life and spending habits. But what would the world look like if we stopped amassing and consuming so much stuff? Perhaps we could do it in a way that truly would improve our quality of life. We might have to reassess what quality of life means - moving away from fancy cars and towards the shear joy of walking or riding a bicycle. Perhaps a better quality of life would include fresh air to breathe and clean water to drink - without all of the toxins that we create constantly.
We are one of the wealthiest societies in the history of the world. The time has come to use that wealth wisely. Rather than amass it, letting everything else be damned, let's conserve our resources, and use our wealth to truly improve the quality of life for all people. To do this, we need to stop consuming so much.
Conor+
Comments
I have kept up with some of your growth and success through the occasional chat with your mom. A wonderful sermon. As a teacher I often discuss conscious consumerism and its impact on the world (the environment and other humans)with my students. I am always happy to see this conversation manifesting in so many different arenas of our society. I wish you well. - Susan McGee