What Now?

My apologies for having been absent from blogging for so long. The hype of Lent and then Holy Week and consequently Easter has been taking up a decent part of my time, as they should. But I am now ready to write about something that I have been wanting to write about for some time now.

What’s going on with the economy?

(Actually, we won’t be talking about that at all, for several reasons: A. I’m not allowed to talk about politics online. B. I don’t actually think it’s important. C. I don’t believe that any one really knows what’s going on with the economy.)

So perhaps the more important question is:

Why are we reacting so harshly to the economy situation?

And by that I mean, why do we consider this to be our nation’s greatest issue? Why do journalists and news programs and other media outlets spend the majority of their time talking about the American economy, as if it is the biggest issue with which we are currently faced? And finally, perhaps most importantly, why is the American economy currently considered to be a negative issue at all?

The first question I will answer simply. The American economy is sinking. That much is true. And yet the American people are sinking as well. We are sinking into a society with no regard for morality. And I’m not speaking from a religious standpoint; though the lack of religion and spirituality in America is disconcerting as well. Yet the fact that American society as a whole has little to no regard for morals or any higher good other than themselves is, indeed, an issue, and at present, our biggest and most concerning issue. Lack of morality feeds into every other evil: crime, be it murder, theft, rape, or any other form of violence including the practice of abortion, mistreatment of human persons, such as racism, sexism, ageism, and all other forms of disordered prejudice, and the ultimate act of selfishness being a complete and total disregard for the well-being of any other person besides oneself. This is the greatest evil in America today; the economy pales in comparison.

I am going to be completely honest with you. As terrible as an economic depression would be at this point, I genuinely believe that the current fear of economic depression is based solely on selfish, materialistic greed. Material poverty is not the worst thing in a world. Millions of people around the world survive without the luxuries we as a society have grown used to. What’s more, these people face much worse financial situations than we probably ever will, yet they endure it every day. Starvation is their lifestyle, for us it’s the exception. They use money as a means to an end, not the end itself. That’s another problem with American society; we all care too much about money. Money has become both a means and an end in American society. If this is how American society is going to be, then perhaps an economic depression will be good for the American soul. Perhaps we need to be humbled. Perhaps we need to rediscover the importance of family, friendship, and community living as opposed to the all-consuming selfishness that often comes with wealth. I am not saying that I want this to happen; I do and will continue to do everything I can to help our economy. But if worst comes to worst…well, it wouldn’t really be all that bad is all I’m saying. People will survive; people are like that. We will still live, and we will still be alright. We need to remove our heads from this toxic cloud of worry and see that the cloud is no higher than our chests. There are much darker things looming above, and we are lucky to be so low to the ground.

We are at war; yes, it is a war. Thousands of American soldiers risk their lives everyday; thousands have been killed. Thousands of Arab men and women are being tormented by political and military turmoil everyday; all are being affected by it. Japan is in ruin after a devastating tsunami caused by a devastating earthquake which consequently caused the most devastating nuclear meltdown since Chernobyl. Genocide and disease run rampant and freely throughout the darkest parts of Africa. And yet the American economy is the media’s highest prioritized concern.

Yet my quarrel is not with the media; I only quarrel against things which I believe I can change, and the American media is not something that can be changed. It is corrupt and useless and, in my opinion, should be completely disregarded. It has failed us, and we should no longer turn to it to serve its purpose.

My quarrel is with you, with us; the American people.

We can change all of this. We can change the way America perceives the world, and consequently the way the world perceives America. We can change the American economy, as well as all of the other evils of our time, nearly all of which are greater than something as simple as the economy. We are America. We should be the government, though currently, we are not, due to our own faults and failures. The government should work for us and by us; the media as well. It is not only our task, but it is our obligation and responsibility as free Americans. The American government could be destroyed in a single day, but America would live on through the spirit of the people. But if the American spirit were to be destroyed in a single day, then the American government would serve no purpose, no matter if it remains strong and standing.

And so, I challenge you: be better than the America of today. And be better than the America of yesterday, which was far greater than the America of today. Strive to be something more than just another idle speck in the mass of America society.

What’s wrong with the world? I am. You are. We are.

What can right the world? What will right the world?

I can. I will. We can. We will.