I am caught up on something.
Recently while watching something on tv, I heard a bit of dialogue that has stuck with me and is most grievous. The setting is ancient Rome, and a man seeking public office is presented with the fact that his election is sure; his opponents are straw candidates. An honest man, he is irritated at the lack of freedom, honesty, and fairness in the political structure. As he voices his concerns the man who is telling him these things says, “Rome does not cry out for freedom. The people do not cry out for fair elections. They cry out for jobs. For bread. For someone to care for them.”
I have no doubt butchered the exact wording, but the message holds it's meaning. Like the Roman Prefect, I too am deeply troubled.
In this day and age we have forgotten ourselves in our selfish desires. We are facing foreclosures, financial woes, and domestic insecurity as we've not seen for the better part of 70 years. Why?
Selfishness and greed perhaps? We have desired houses that are bigger—bigger than our paychecks justify. We have desired cars that are nicer—nicer than our checkbooks can afford. We have used the moneys of Visa, MasterCard, and Discover to purchase the things we must afford, the delicacies we must indulge ourselves on and the trophies of modern sophistication. We have used our good name, our credit, to afford these vapors of pleasure. The money for these was never really there to begin with. Our name became greater than the number at the bottom of our net worth column. And our good name has run out. Our name is no longer “good” for anything, save for a reference point for collectors to contact us. Is the bank the villain? Surely they should not have lent us the funds we so desired! What greed motivated them to try for a percentage of interest off of our spending habits, habits so fueled and driven as to guarantee good return? Yet...
what greed motivated us to the point of “needing” so many things? What senselessness took us that we sent ourselves spiraling into more debt that we might spend our home equity on our trophy flatscreens, and long “deserved” vacations in exotic places? What madness is this that permeates the mind and allows justification of a vehicle or vehicles that exceed the ability of our income to support? Why must we drive the least efficient, the most unreliable, and the most exceedingly over-priced vehicles? Why does our pride extend so far past our actual monetary abilities?
Faced with these difficulties problems that we have incubated, nurtured, and justified, what have we done? These seeds of greed and irresponsibility have come to fruition. Where are we at harvest time?
We are nowhere to be found. We will not say it is our desires, our greed, our motivation for more that has brought us to this point. We cannot. We will not allow ourselves. There should be a law, a statute, more regulation of banks, anything, anything but admit our failure to act like men.
We find ourselves beggared by our own lust for the pride of life. And so we come.
We come to the feet of a politician. And we plead for release and exoneration from our actions. We cannot face the unthinkable: the consequences of our monetary philanderings.
Our grandparents were reduced to bread lines and soup kitchens for years. They were subjected to true hunger, and true need, and true poverty. In light of our misbehavior, they did not deserve the harshness of the Great Depression. But they survived. Made do. Fought on. And they stepped up and did what was necessary, and what was demanded of them as responsible adults. And they brought forth the Greatest Generation from their trial. But us? We cower. We kneel and beg that we not be reduced to a soup line. Oh please, most powerful politician, please rescue us! Please save us from our idiocy and childish behavior! Be merciful to us! We do not wish to answer for our actions, so we wheedle and cry.
We think ourselves above the laws of nature, of sowing and reaping, and unintended consequences.
They are responding to our demands to reach out and save us. They are going to make atonement for us at the market in the world economy. They will cover our shame and lunacy. But in exchange for what?
What will we give them in exchange for saving us from ourselves? We are not demanding freedom.
We are not demanding truth. We are not demanding true fairness of getting all that which we signed for. We are demanding jobs. And bread. Someone to care for us. They are ever willing to give these to us.
But at what price? When will we realize the true cost of paying the piper?
