Saturday, September 12, 2009
Out of the Mud Grows the Lotus
According to Buddhism, the Three Poisons leading to the ongoing round of birth, death and rebirth are: greed, hatred and ignorance/delusion. I think this principle applies to economies as well as our individual lives. We are told we don't save enough and yet we are also told that we need to spend ourselves out of the current recession! The consequence of this approach will be the recreation of the same unsustainable, environmentally disasterous lifestyle and economy that led to the near meltdown. The economic crisis gave us an opportunity to transform our worldview and economy but I see very little evidence of a lotus growing out of this mud. In terms of our personal lives, stories of transformation abound with any minister.
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In the post-9/11 days, there's no question that we, as a country, were urged to "shop" and "consume" in order to bring the economy out of its downward spiral. I'm not getting the same sense this time, in what is proving to be a much more major recession.
ReplyDeleteWhile the federal government has spent an incredible amount of money on bailouts, they (we!) weren't "consuming" anything, but, rather, trying to keep large institutions afloat while the economy could find its bearings. If the funds get returned (and some already are being returned by the overstretched financial institutions), the government will receive the money back. That sounds a bit like recycling and a model of sustainability.
Even the "cash for clunkers" program was as much as anything an education/PR effort to open people to the possibility of expecting more of car companies (i.e. higher gas mileage for cars). Yes, it did mean that the federal government urged citizens to consume "more" (a new car) -- but, in some ways, it was a ploy to have them ultimately consume "less" (gasoline).
I am actually struck by how many people have made serious adjustments to their spending patterns in rather short order. And, they don't seem to feel deprived. (That's a new sensation in this generation of Americans!)
I guess the proof will be in the pudding. How many of our children will want to purchase McMansions and multiple SUVs, plus multiple big-screen TVs, expensive cruise vacations, etc. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
It's hard to imagine how things could be different, since 70% of our economy has been dependent on consumption. Typically, each generation wants the next generation to do better than it did. And the rest of the world feels that it deserves its fair share of the pie. What could we do to keep the economy from slipping to a lower point, while stopping shopping? Rev. Castro, Can you tie your responses back to Buddhism. Ann
ReplyDeleteToday's Seattle Times ran an article titled, "Bad news for economy is good news for the planet." the first paragraph says,"Global carbon emissions are expected to post their biggest drop in more than 40 years as the global recession froze economic activity and slashed energy use around the world."
ReplyDeleteif a lotus can grow out of the mud that would be positive karma manifesting from negative karma. that would take a miracle to turn the wheel in the opposite direction. America is a garbage in garbage out society fueled by Madison avenue ad agencies that treat consumers like addicts needing a fix of their products. I would think China would have a better chance to implement a green economy because they have central planning. In the west its a free for all, dog eat dog economy.
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