Last week was a wild ride on the Wall Street Express...and it might not be over. In the meantime, I have been reading, searching, and reflecting so I could make sense of it all. At one level, I don't want to panic. Life happens in cycles and we have seen some of these cycles before. At another level, I want to be very prudent and aware of what is going on. Not only does my retirement and college funds depend on me being aware but so does my soul. I want to process this spiritually and see what this whole experience can teach me. wanted the. Better yet, what can it teach us as followers of Jesus and Christians seeking first the Kingdom of God.
In that process, what has been helpful for me is to connect up with other metaphors that other writers and observers have been using to describe the recent economic crisis. Mark Sayers, culture watcher and author of the book The Trouble with Paris: Following Jesus in a World of Plastic Promises, uses these words to describe the current economic crisis: "To put it in layman’s terms the global economy has been acting like a teenage girl who had stolen her parents credit card and was buying everything in sight at the mall; it was fun for a while but it was always going to end in tears...Greed became the norm, we got so used to it that we barely noticed that everyone's ride had been pimped. A culture of insanity set in as no one was happy anymore with being healthy and free, we all wanted the lifestyles of the rich and famous." Sayers goes on to add these words:
"But now reality has crashed the hyperreal party. We are seeing the consequences of our culture’s credit card lifestyle. So now I pray, because this will hurt a lot of people, most of all it will hurt those at the bottom of the economic pile. Yet I also have hope, hope that sanity will return, that people will begin to question our culture’s hyperreal paper tigers. That people will see that there is another unseen reality that exists in our world. A reality that does not revolve around stocks, currencies and computer screens. A reality that is marked by shalom, righteousness and justice. A reality that is breaking out in our world, that we will see if we just can take our eyes off the dollar signs."
Another author, United Methodist pastor Adam Hamilton, describes the recent economic condition in this way:
"In many ways this economic crisis is like a serious heart attack requiring quadruple bypass surgery. The patient (America) has eaten too much of the wrong things, refused to practice self-discipline or to exercise. She could have predicted the attack basedon her lifestyle. And, though doctors had warned her of the likelihood of an attack, she chose to ignore their warnings. Following a lengthy surgyer, and after a period of recovery, the patient will feel so much better. But there is still the matter of changing her lifestyle. If she goes back to eating fatty foods, far too many calories, and never exercising, she will be back on the operating table, or perhaps worse, within a few years. This is where America finds herself."
These are both pretty stark metaphors but they both point to an overindulgence in stuff and now we are suffering severe economic indigestion. This, of course, is no laughing matter. Many have lost millions of dollars in their retirement funds and college funds have taken a hit. Also, folks live under the fear of being laid off or not having enough to pay for gas or groceries. We need to be praying as well as being sensitive to the needs of others. For us as Quakers, this is an excellent time to live out our core value of simplicity as well as community and caring for others. Life is not all about what we own or possess. Life is about community and caring for one another.
What's your take on the present economy? As of today, the stock market was up..but how long will that last? Moreso, can my faith sustain me and hold me solid as through this wild ride?
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