OK, I know this is an old question, but what about this. It seems everyone buys into this. And, at some level there is a little truth to it. It is hard to be happy if you are starving, and enough money to not have to worry about having money helps ease stress, but many people have enough money to live comfortable lives but make thier lives uncomfortable by pursuing material wealth to the point where they can no longer afford thier lifestyle. Why do we put ourselves into so much debt? What do we hope to attain by this? Is it spiritual fulfullment through material wealth?
Along the same lines:
There is something else I have been noticing here in Memphis lately too. I see many companies advertising themselves as Christian. They seem to be mostly in the car repair and building industries: "Annointed Oil Car Repair", "Christian Brother's Tire and Battery", Noah's Arc Plumbing" to name a few.
What about all of this? The Christian names in the titles tend to make me more worried about doing business with these people rather than being reassured. What do you guys think?
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3 comments:
Age old, perhaps, but still obviously relevant. I was actually listening to a story on the news this morning about how the top 1% of the population earns 20% of our national income. And the rich are getting richer at a rate not seen in decades. I do think it warrants our attention because money and possessions seem to be America's drug of choice. So, what is the drug treating? Greed certainly isn't a new thing, so I don't know if there's one underlying human emptiness that has always inspired people to crave wealth, or if there's merit in examining what specific influences are exacerbating our current situation. But, if we are going to focus on the current climate, I think it must have something to do with how isolated people are now. I think the information age is enabling us to bypass our physical existence so greatly that now communities aren't as close-knit and healthy as they once were. We have so much information and opportunity at our fingertips, that we often forget about the importance of living at our small human scale. And we neglect our neighborhoods and localities. We think of ourselves too globally and I think it makes us feel cut off from any "real" interaction. And I think lonliness can be a primary cause of overconsumption. People need to surround themselves with some kind of assurance since they're not sure if they can count on their communities.
And about the Christian business pitch, I've noticed that, too. And, while it might make us wary of those people, I think it does draw a lot of people in. I think it's especially effective on the people who want to talk about their Christian faith all the time but are convinced they're being stifled by a "PC" society. You know, those people that send out e-mail forwards claiming that "they're not ashamed of what they believe" and that if you delete this e-mail then you must not believe in Jesus?? I think those plumbers and car salesmen are making a killing of those guys.
I think the "Christian" business issue is businesses recognizing southern culture which is steeped in Victorian ideals/churchy-ness. It is part of southern culture to go to church or at least belong to a church. Businesses realize that is part of their demographics and they need to appeal to the demographics in order to make money.
Isn't the debt issue a matter of greed. We see something and we want it. Then you decide whether or not you can afford it. If you can't afford it, you figure out a way to justify it. Or just whip out the credit card and swipe it and worry about the money when the statement comes in 30 days later.
You know - fifty years ago - if my parents saw something they wanted they had to save for it. There was a built in waiting period. There was no credit card to swipe in the moment. Today, it is just so easy to get whatever you want with very little thought process.
I was watching the new Ken Burns documentary "The War". One thing that really stood out to me was the difference in the attitude about money. In WWII every one was encouraged to pull together and save. They didn’t waste anything. They reused aluminum foil. They washed it and re-used it! They crushed cans to recycle them to we could make bombs or tanks or what ever. My Grandmother needed a sewing machine. She ordered it but had to wait months to get it because all efforts were going to the war and sewing machine production was not at the top of anyone’s list of important things to produce. Eisenhower gave speeches to implore Americans to save their money, invest in war bonds, save electricity, save food cans, save sugar, save, save, save.
Our government implores us to spend. They have lowered interest rates in savings accounts to encourage us to take that money out and spend it. They lower interest rates on loans to encourage us to spend that money and stimulate the economy. Our American duty is to spend. We can save jobs by spending.
I think we have to admit that the way we think about money is very different than the way most of us were raised. I’m also not sure I have answered the question.
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