You
have probably noticed that, according to what we hear and read in the media, it
seems that whatever the problem facing Americans today is, it can be solved if
we throw more money at it – political, economic, medical, educational,
military, energy, etc. All we need is more money and all of our problems would
be solved. If you look at the way the US Money Supply is expanding, from about six trillion in 2001 to over 14 trillion in 2007, and you believe that more money is
all we need -- then we should not have many problems left.
Dr.
Robert Jensen is a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of
Texas at Austin. His latest book, Arguing
For Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialog, is a must read for
anyone that considers religion or politics an important part of life. Dr.
Jensen addresses the question of whether greed is the only thing we can trust in
to get people to do what is needed to solve many of today’s problems. Below are quotes from his book:
“The concentration of wealth affects the
distribution of power. In a nation where the top 1% of the population controls
35% of the wealth and the top 20% of the population controls 85% of the wealth,
we can’t talk about political equality without talking about economic
inequality. A crucial question is whether this distribution of wealth is
consistent with anyone’s moral principles. A central question that is routinely
ignored is: Are our economic and political systems compatible? . . . .
“The most important argument about human
nature made today is in the theory behind contemporary capitalism, the claim
that the inequality in our system is in the best interest of everyone.
Capitalism asserts that because we are greedy, self-interested animals, we must
reward greedy, self-interested behavior to create a rational and efficient
economic system. Such a system is so creative and productive, the argument
goes, that we should accept the inequality that results.
“Taken to an extreme, this view suggests
this scheme is the essence of rationality itself: To be rational is to maximize
one’s self-interest, especially in the acquisition of material goods and
services. . . . We all are capable, of course, of being greedy and
self-interested. And we also are capable of sacrificing for others, including
for strangers. Competition is part of human nature, as is cooperation.”
Dr.
Jensen includes an interview with Abe Osheroff, a lifelong political activist
in his 90s, who reveals some very important insights.
Robert
Jensen:
There are two different paths to go down here. One is to say to people, “Listen,
I understand that you want all these material things, but if you put aside that
greed there is something in the long run that will serve you better.” Or you
could say, “I know you want these things, but you have to train yourself not to
want them because they aren’t of any real value.” Which is politically more
efficiency and more realistic?
Abe Osheroff: You don’t have to
get rid of the instinct for material things to do this. You begin to practice,
to learn that it’s more rewarding to pursue a path that brings real love and
affection. Everybody needs love. Everybody needs affection. Everybody needs
validation. It’s a central problem of human life, and very few people really
get those things . . . . When I faced this bribe, I discovered there was a part
of me that wanted the money, but luckily
there was something that I wanted more of. . . And I can articulate that now,
even if I couldn’t always:
“The only thing in human life you can give
away and not be left with less is love and affection. It is simple, but not
everyone understands this. If I give you some of my money, I have less. But, if
I give you love and affection, I don’t have less, I have more. It’s the only
thing in human relations that is guaranteed to grow like that. I’ve learned that
the hard way, and I still have things to learn about it. But that’s at the
center of what I try to teach activists – the importance of the role of love.
“So what should we value more than material
comfort? Love and affection, respect and validation. . . There will always be
also in the human community – sometimes on a larger scale and sometimes on a
smaller scale – deep-seated resistance to greed as the dominant feature of
life. Even without being political, people live that way, just out of being
loving people.”
As
I pointed out above, Dr. Jensen’s book, Arguing
For Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialog, is a must read. For
more info about it or to buy it go to – http://amzn.to/14lfwqu
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