| For the thirty-plus years of my adult life I have | | | | commits a crime, then finds religion and repentance too |
| watched, read, and learned - albeit somewhat | | | | late. For decades we have been warned about |
| passively - about our national and world economy, the | | | | pollution, the damages to our environment, and the |
| politics of big business, the exclusive world of money, | | | | need to migrate away from fossil fuels...but greed |
| and how it all fits together to affect each of us. But a | | | | determined decisions; it was short-sighted greed that |
| few days ago, while watching more economic bad | | | | kept the American car makers from taking the lead by |
| news on the television, my teen looked at me with an | | | | making better cars than Toyota, and new, |
| inquisitive voice and said: "I don't understand...if all this is | | | | environmentally conscious products. No fear; the auto |
| based on confidence, perception of value, and | | | | makers have always been confident that consumers |
| speculation...why are we in this mess and how does it | | | | will buy (and trust) whatever they make. |
| all fit together? Can't we just print more money?" Oh | | | | The same goes for "the environment" (which is related |
| boy, thought I, where do I start? Explaining the | | | | in many ways). I put this in quotes because we speak |
| complicated components of the economy - in fact the | | | | about the very air we breathe, our sky, and the ground |
| world of money - and why we are in a recession and | | | | we are pulled to as if it is a possession, like "the house" |
| our economy is failing is not such a simple task. | | | | or "the television" or something detached from our |
| Rather than fumbling around with a lengthy dissertation | | | | person. Sure, I know that it's just a label, a common |
| on macro and microeconomics, I thought better of it | | | | term, a way to address an issue...but in my mind, it's so |
| and stopped. I wanted to somehow give her an | | | | much more than "the environment"...it is our very lives, |
| answer that she could get her brain around quickly. So | | | | the reason we are alive...it is us, more than us. |
| I spoke about the underlying reason for our national | | | | Anyway, as I said, the same goes for the environment; |
| and international financial perils: greed. I explained to her | | | | we have been warned and known for decades about |
| that it is the concentration of greed, and the want that | | | | the effects of pollution, the impact we humans are |
| we all have to live beyond our means, that has hurt us | | | | having on our planet, and the need to migrate away |
| all. We are picking up the tab for our greed. I explained | | | | from fossil fuels...but greed determined our decisions. It |
| to her that I personally want to blame the big | | | | was easier to not incite fears in the masses, and |
| corporate CEO's, the super rich, and the Wall Street | | | | largely ignore this exponentially growing problem in |
| executives. But the foundation of greed upon which | | | | favor of greedy consumerism, and the intrinsic pollution |
| our woes are set extends all the way to each and | | | | of our disposable economy. |
| every consumer; we have lived beyond our incomes | | | | Perhaps between the Time article and the assistance |
| through the invention of credit. | | | | of her parents, our daughter may come to understand |
| Coincidentally, following this conversation with my | | | | a bit more about our collective condition. But |
| daughter, I picked up the September 29th issue of | | | | understanding is only the start. As she prepares for a |
| Time magazine - that I still hadn't been able to get to - | | | | successful adulthood, my hope is that she will act in |
| and there, on page 32, began an article entitled: "The | | | | responsible ways and seek to promote responsibility in |
| Price of Greed." The article confirms the point: "...in the | | | | others. |
| end, almost all of us, collectively, are going to pay for | | | | The (September 29th) Time magazine article I aptly |
| the consequences." And a bit later on the same page: | | | | concluded: "Coping in this new world will require |
| "When greed exceeds fear, trouble follows." The | | | | adjustments by millions of Americans. We all will have |
| article goes into strong detail as to the specific details | | | | to start living within our means - or preferably below |
| that contribute to our economic troubles (and I will ask | | | | them." To this I would add that unregulated Capitalism |
| my daughter to read this fine article). | | | | must be tempered by lessons of the past; we humans |
| The news story we watched that prompted my | | | | have a responsibility to our planet and to each other to |
| daughter's questions was about the American | | | | heed the warning signs, shy away from allowing greed |
| automakers asking for some of the bail out funds. I | | | | to determine action, and take consistent action based |
| admit to a bit of extra angst on this matter. The auto | | | | upon (and within) that responsibility. |
| industry is like the deliberately rebellious son who | | | | |