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| The Great Montana Sinkhole, oil, Tin Holmes |
One problem with the free market is that as a guiding principle it is no better than that of nature. We have spent 30,000 years developing civilization– rich with religions and law, poetry and song, culture and tradition– to lift us out of the animal arena.
Freedom of choice is a treasure our progenitors won for us at unimaginable sacrifice, the fruit of building a civilization based on individual equality and liberty, ideals unattainable in nature. Such is the ever-upward calling of humanity toward a higher purpose; remaking ourselves in the image of God.
However, the private powers that have taken control of this world have seduced us into a religion of the market, reducing that freedom into mere personal preference. "You can have it any way you like it". Thus have we by default reduced a fabulously rich and unbelievably expensive culture formed for the refinement of all humanity to one guided by and for mere personal preference, essentially built according to what the market demands. Incredibly, we have allowed these powers– eagerly and blindly, mind you– to replace almost all arenas of public life- politics, law, journalism, even art and religion for God's sake,– with entertainment. Which is simply another way of containing the animals.
Without a guiding principle that overarches personal preference, civilization cannot move forward. Politicians are corporate puppets. Journalism is toothless. Unions are near-dead. The church is nearly emasculated. And with them go the light of constitutions, the search for truth, universal dignity and morality. By what guiding principle are we forming the future?
Shall we take a poll?
1 comment:
Actually, Nature isn't all that bad. While it may be written in fang and claw, it's principle is balance among the multitude of "interests." The approach of the unregulated market is more like a cancer, an aberration of nature. It depends on an imbalance to succeed.
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