I write this under the influence of a new moon and just as the world is discovering more about Pluto thanks to NASA’s New Horizons mission. It seems as auspicious a time as any, at least in a planetary sense, to consider a new trajectory in our economic system as well as a transition to get us there.
Letting go of the shore to head to a new horizon is familiar to me, although never easy. My birthright saw me through some pretty big societal changes: from how curriculum was delivered in schools, to women’s liberation and access to birth control; from watching as man landed on the moon, to witnessing Star Trek’s sci-fi mobile communication system become the norm ŕ la smart phones and tablets.
The latest transition I’ve witnessed, and actively participated in, had to do with how we live on our planet. It had to do with recognizing that we exist in relationship to everything around us. We are not separate from the land we live on, the water we drink, the air we breathe, the plants which feed, clothes and shelter us, the animals with whom we share space and resources, and the many minerals which give us beauty, structure, and form. We are in this together.
For an example of economic togetherness all we have to do is take a look at the plight of Greece. Poised on the brink of bankruptcy for years now, Greece is holding up a mirror so the rest of us can see the folly of our materialistic ways, especially our pre-occupation with short-term gain.
It seems to me that Greece, the cradle of our civilized world, is revealing how well and truly broken our present-day global economic system really is. Look beyond any lingering smoke in the mirrors and you will see that our unquenchable appetite for “everything, all the time” is unsustainable during even the best of economic times. (Did you know we would need more than four planet Earths for everyone to live the way Americans do?)
Then there are the trade agreements, either between or within nations and economic blocks like the European Union (EU), which all too often worsen the plight of the poor and make big corporate interests richer. This is how Pope Francis framed this situation: “Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that creates huge inequalities.”
It should come as no surprise that this sort of inequality can lead to jealousy, resentment, anger, frustration, and separation. When we look back on our history lessons, aren’t these feelings the precursors of riots, revolution, and war?
You bet they are. Greece, that ancient land of myth and legend, reminds us of this—that is, if we dare to take a closer look. Perhaps what is going on in Greece today is no different than a time so long ago when the gods were so displeased and disappointed with mankind’s despicable ways that they up and left for Atlantis. The last one to leave was the virgin goddess Astraea: even this most pure, innocent, and just of the gods couldn’t take our selfish ways any more. Astraea is said to have left Earth during the The Iron Age—an age known for a time of toil and misery for mankind, a time when might makes right, and a time when bad men used lies in order to be thought good.
Sound familiar, anyone?
The good news is that more and more people are becoming enlightened as to the error of our self-serving ways. It’s like the world has reached a tipping point now that so many have taken up the march for sustainability, equality, and peace. Today, people are demanding that humanitarian and environmental issues no longer be sacrificed to the false god we have come to know as “The Economy.”
Massive positive changes are coming our way as a result. Did you know that big box retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s are working to eliminate or limit use of a type of pesticide suspected of helping cause dramatic declines in honeybee populations? A recent trip to a grocery store, where a large section of the meat cooler was dedicated to “humanely raised” chicken, is nothing less than proof of this trend.
A new trajectory for our world’s economic system—now that’s in our best interest!
Follow Sheelagh on Twitter @sheesays or visit www.ideagarden.net.
