This past weekend I was in Denver and had the opportunity (I use the word loosely) to go to the Colorado Mills Mall-a huge array of boutique stores on the outskirts of the city. As I wandered through the panoply of every consumer's wish, it was impressed upon me why our culture and economy are in such dire straights.Not to be mistaken, there was a plethora of "cuteness" to appeal to everyone from grandma to grunge-daddy. It's just that none of it seemed necessary or important for life.
Getting bored with my Eeyorian assessment, I forced myself to acknowledge that at least the piles of trivia gave folks a little entertainment and provided an economic outlet for some people's lives. What struck me was that there was little in the Mall that represent the highest and best of American values. If freedom means only the freedom to buy then that concept has been emptied of all real meaning. If justice is contained in the effluvia of the storefronts, then no one is looking to see when, or how, or by whom it's made. If equality is ... well you get my point.
But it isn't adequate to just criticize. It also occurred to me that if our culture and economy aren't to be built on crass consumerism, then what is an alternate model. It's here that our country and the world really has an opportunity in these stressed economic times. It's obvious that the world can't sustain the rampant consumerism of the U.S., but if not consumerism then how do we build an economy? It's also obvious that our country can't continue to thrive by wasting its wealth on armaments and weapons. We spend more than all the other nations of the world combined on "defense" and every drone and tank represents a lost opportunity for making the lives of our people and the world better.
As I wandered the Mall I wondered what a different economy might look like. What would it be like to have our economic engine built on the welfare of the people first and their acquisitions second? What would it look like if we focused first on health, food, education, housing, and infrastructure? What would it be like to have an economy built on the good of the whole rather than the greed of the few? Its time we started thinking of new ways to do things--new ways that are sustainable and provide for welfare of the whole world.
A proverb says, "Don/t speak unless you can imporve the silence." I'd add, "Don't buy unless it improves the world."
Peace and Blessings
The Rev
Let’s support each other’s efforts to become more mindful consumers. Let’s become informed and inspire a sustainable and humane economy-where the common good creates abundance.
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