Sermonized issues
Are there issues worthy of invoking public shame and guilt?
Global warming is certainly an easy target for those wannabe ministers to satisfy our need to feel guilty for something, perhaps to strengthen our resolved to say no to the next siren call of easy street, the death spiral of the sinner and addict.
I do my own sermonizing on ennumerable topics of excess and greed. Its easy enough, especially on topics I imagine I have some part of the solution at least - if only everyone could be like me, our ills would be over, right, but too bad everyone else is having too much fun to notice the consequences of their collective actions.
I'm on the highest ground against greed. I consider myself virtuous for resisting the urge to buy the next great thing, a digital camera or whatever toy that sparkles its new and improved eye at me.
Harder for me to hold the high ground is again the lure of "free". The BEST sorts of free things are things that someone else is WASTING and I know how to waste it less. Should I consider it an achievement to spend an average of $40/month on groceries? Sure I spend more than that a month average on eating out, even paying for my girlfriend, but really it is the crazy fact there's always interesting food around to eat. I can't quite explain it.
And here I type on a FREE blog site, in a FREE employer paid internet access, reading free online news. I have a free checking, free credit card service. I'm often skeptical of something claimed to be free, wondering what's the catch. Sometime's the catch is that most people are STUPID, and let themselves get caught, so if I know the danger, then perhaps I can avoid the costs - all upside!
A coworker said he has a 30-year fixed mortgage at 4.6%. I expect he paid some points (precash) as well as closing costs which if amortized into 30 years would still raise the rate signficantly, but now that he has it, he can play investment games - whether safe ones like 5% savings accounts, or smart stock picks or whatever.
Myself, I can imagine playing games, but ultimately it doesn't appeal to me - I'd rather give more money to the government in taxes than pay more in mortgage interest.
It could be I'm still already corrupted into the system, by taking on property ownership and debt. It seemed a deal too good to pass up - low interest, a good job, and debt-free property at the end of the rainbow. I got silly friends who are "military tax resisitors", refusing to pay federal taxes because it supports war. Some honest ones keep their income low. Some less honest ones hide their income, own no seizable assets, and prepared to move on when taxes catch up. Most don't have kids, like me, so they can "play small fish" and risks relatively low of the law catching them.
Anyway, on the "free lunch" side of things, there's many ways for people to live OFF the system while not directly adding to it, merely living off its waste.
Okay, back to sermons, I could for example defend a position that "car ownership" is the fundamental roadblock to social justice and all the good stuff. Humans lived 200,000 years without a car, so we ought to be able to also. Critical mass says if enough people support a value, that cooperate action can allow NEW action not reachable by individuals - building community that is not centered around fossil fuels. I could say I don't have a car because I'm waiting for this to happen, but really I'm not going to fight too hard. It's just cheaper, and lots of opportunity around me, AND if I find a "higher purpose" than my own amusement, I hold no moral high ground against owning a car, especially if for a limited period of time and goal.
I can't take absolute position, but prefer strategic compromises - cost and benefit. I believe I can invest time and money in ways that strengthen the future.
It's all fun and cute to call Gore a hypocrite for his energy guzzling home and lifestyle - always kill the messenger if you can. True, he puts himself out there for judgment, and perhaps accepts it as good if it encourages others to do better.
The hardest thing for me is to remember than ordinary things add up to extraordinary costs, when multiplied by 6.5 billion. (On the good side, ordinary work can add to extraordinary benefits when equally multiplied.)
Whatever truth we serve, none is easier to forget than the fact that we consume much more than the average person on earth, and they aspire to copy us AND there's not going to be enough for all in this game of infinite growth. Our success exceeds reality sooner or later.
We ought to be leading to a better world, investing in being smaller, in accepting compromises as helpful for our body, mind and spirit, all in different ways.
And lastly in my sermonizing, I know I have my own daily fight, much harder than judging others. I just want to believe in a future that is credible. A small wish, but so hard. I still take the easy choices, and time is short and perhaps harder roads I might see if I was ready to see.
And Jesus said "Open your eyes and you shall believe."
Maybe he said that, sounds credible!
Global warming is certainly an easy target for those wannabe ministers to satisfy our need to feel guilty for something, perhaps to strengthen our resolved to say no to the next siren call of easy street, the death spiral of the sinner and addict.
I do my own sermonizing on ennumerable topics of excess and greed. Its easy enough, especially on topics I imagine I have some part of the solution at least - if only everyone could be like me, our ills would be over, right, but too bad everyone else is having too much fun to notice the consequences of their collective actions.
I'm on the highest ground against greed. I consider myself virtuous for resisting the urge to buy the next great thing, a digital camera or whatever toy that sparkles its new and improved eye at me.
Harder for me to hold the high ground is again the lure of "free". The BEST sorts of free things are things that someone else is WASTING and I know how to waste it less. Should I consider it an achievement to spend an average of $40/month on groceries? Sure I spend more than that a month average on eating out, even paying for my girlfriend, but really it is the crazy fact there's always interesting food around to eat. I can't quite explain it.
And here I type on a FREE blog site, in a FREE employer paid internet access, reading free online news. I have a free checking, free credit card service. I'm often skeptical of something claimed to be free, wondering what's the catch. Sometime's the catch is that most people are STUPID, and let themselves get caught, so if I know the danger, then perhaps I can avoid the costs - all upside!
A coworker said he has a 30-year fixed mortgage at 4.6%. I expect he paid some points (precash) as well as closing costs which if amortized into 30 years would still raise the rate signficantly, but now that he has it, he can play investment games - whether safe ones like 5% savings accounts, or smart stock picks or whatever.
Myself, I can imagine playing games, but ultimately it doesn't appeal to me - I'd rather give more money to the government in taxes than pay more in mortgage interest.
It could be I'm still already corrupted into the system, by taking on property ownership and debt. It seemed a deal too good to pass up - low interest, a good job, and debt-free property at the end of the rainbow. I got silly friends who are "military tax resisitors", refusing to pay federal taxes because it supports war. Some honest ones keep their income low. Some less honest ones hide their income, own no seizable assets, and prepared to move on when taxes catch up. Most don't have kids, like me, so they can "play small fish" and risks relatively low of the law catching them.
Anyway, on the "free lunch" side of things, there's many ways for people to live OFF the system while not directly adding to it, merely living off its waste.
Okay, back to sermons, I could for example defend a position that "car ownership" is the fundamental roadblock to social justice and all the good stuff. Humans lived 200,000 years without a car, so we ought to be able to also. Critical mass says if enough people support a value, that cooperate action can allow NEW action not reachable by individuals - building community that is not centered around fossil fuels. I could say I don't have a car because I'm waiting for this to happen, but really I'm not going to fight too hard. It's just cheaper, and lots of opportunity around me, AND if I find a "higher purpose" than my own amusement, I hold no moral high ground against owning a car, especially if for a limited period of time and goal.
I can't take absolute position, but prefer strategic compromises - cost and benefit. I believe I can invest time and money in ways that strengthen the future.
It's all fun and cute to call Gore a hypocrite for his energy guzzling home and lifestyle - always kill the messenger if you can. True, he puts himself out there for judgment, and perhaps accepts it as good if it encourages others to do better.
The hardest thing for me is to remember than ordinary things add up to extraordinary costs, when multiplied by 6.5 billion. (On the good side, ordinary work can add to extraordinary benefits when equally multiplied.)
Whatever truth we serve, none is easier to forget than the fact that we consume much more than the average person on earth, and they aspire to copy us AND there's not going to be enough for all in this game of infinite growth. Our success exceeds reality sooner or later.
We ought to be leading to a better world, investing in being smaller, in accepting compromises as helpful for our body, mind and spirit, all in different ways.
And lastly in my sermonizing, I know I have my own daily fight, much harder than judging others. I just want to believe in a future that is credible. A small wish, but so hard. I still take the easy choices, and time is short and perhaps harder roads I might see if I was ready to see.
And Jesus said "Open your eyes and you shall believe."
Maybe he said that, sounds credible!
posted by Ares Olympus at 4:13 PM
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