The Whole Household
The Whole Household: February 15, 2020
When Jack was taking karate, his Sensei, at the end of one of his belt ceremonies, told the children to bow to their senpai (karate teacher) in gratitude for helping them to learn and practice; to bow to their parents for allowing and encouraging them to come and learn this discipline; and finally, to look around and be grateful for each student on the mat. Because, he said, everyone is an example to you. Some people are examples of how you want to model your life, and some are examples of who you do not want to be. He advised them to be grateful and learn from the example of each person they encounter.
That’s how I’ve been approaching my recent delve into economics. I’ve joined NPR’s David Brancaccio in a 12-week Econ challenge. One chapter/week of this "free, readable Econ 101 textbook" produced by "a volunteer team of economics professors in about two dozen countries to explore the foundations of the field by telling real world stories." I didn’t love the one Economics class I took in graduate school; but I do like this textbook that outlines economic theory while also applying it to common life, especially some really big factors—like climate change—that threaten every economy. I want to understand economic theory and how we use it to produce a more equitable society.
I’m not one to disparage capitalism, as some do. I think capitalism has great potential for good. The problem seems to be that it is also ripe for corruption. It favors those with power and allows them to consolidate that power and squeeze out competition. Competition is great if it lets you enter the market, but once you’re there, you tend to want to squelch the up and coming competitors that might make you have to rethink your design or delivery.
I don’t believe in hands-off capitalism, or the idea that the market has an intrinsic benevolent effect. On the contrary, I think that we must be ever vigilant to make sure the latest disruption doesn’t become the latest entrenched bully. For instance, Uber upended traditional taxi services, but then exploited its workers for larger corporate gain—the opposite of what the spread-the-wealth, decentralized service was supposed to do. Likewise Amazon disrupted local bookstores and then every other store. Convenience is the key factor, and I don’t see us going backwards, but the hit to local economies is real, and ripe for its own reimagining.
How shall we reimagine together?
My friend, Alex, sent me the link to the upcoming Shape the World conference sponsored each year by his alma mater, the London School of Economics. It looks amazing, and I will be so interested to have him reflect what was most meaningful for him. I also heard from my friend, Joe, who was sorry that I hadn’t enjoyed my one chance at Economics because he had had a great teacher at Clemson: “Ralph Byrns, who taught us (among many things) about externalized costs. He made Econ theory make so much sense, if one looks at the big picture.“
That’s what I want us all to do always, to look at the big picture and evaluate our actions—economic and otherwise—based on externalized costs and long-term effects for the entire society, not just our own small interests. That seems to me to be Jesus’s economic theory.
The Greek word eikos—the family, the household, and the family property—is the root of the word Economics—the social science that studies the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Or, a more accessible definition as per that Core online text, is: “how people interact with each other and their natural surroundings in producing livelihoods.” It’s the study of how the Earth’s inhabitants live with one another. So it should come as no surprise that eikos is also the root of the word Ecology—the science that studies the whole household of the planet.
But wait, there’s more! Not to be outdone, Ecumenism (from oikouménē—the inhabited world) is the Christian practice of acknowledging and celebrating the unity that exists among all denominations claiming Christ as their central figure. Denominations are more closely related to one another—in the same way all humans are genetically 99.9% the same—than any absurd effort to split hairs would have you believe.
Jesus’s economic theory was to respect everyone in the society and insist that each being was cared for. Loaves and fishes. The Widow’s mite. Suffer the little children. It is a theology and economy of abundance that should make us western Christians squirm under its scrutiny of our claims.
If we profess to follow Jesus, then we cannot, in good conscience, claim superiority to any ‘other’, much less prevent them from eating at ‘our’ tables, participating in ‘our’ health care system, or benefitting from ‘our’ institutions. We cannot believe ourselves to follow Jesus if we refuse to share with others. Oh we can worship him. That’s the easy out. But he demanded that we follow. Emulate. Die to self and live for all.
Even believing this and trying really hard to live into it, here’s where Jesus just crosses a line for me. He doesn’t even care whether people deserve the break they’re getting. He doesn’t care if they’ve earned grace, or are grateful enough for it, or acknowledge what a gift it is, or believe themselves worthy. God just loves us. God just wants everything for every one of us, and calls those of us with more of everything to give it away. Joyfully, for God’s sake! Jesus Christ.
Those ungrateful people are just allowed to be ungrateful and get all the benefits anyway? Yes, just as I have received grace too many times to count—more times than I even know. And I don’t know it because those of us who ‘have’ tend to believe we earned it, we deserve it, we made our own way. But that’s a lie.
Don’t believe me? Check out this TED talk. Does Money Make You Mean by Paul Piff, a researcher who tested it across age groups and various experiences. His research demonstrates that if we’re successful, we believe it’s because of something we did, we believe we deserve it. Which sets up the convenient dichotomy that those other people, the ones who aren’t successful, must not be working hard enough, or want it enough, or they just want to slime off the rest of us hardworking taxpayers.
I’m not denying your hard work. I’m just really sure your success is due at least in equal measure to God’s grace.
Let us learn from one another in this fragile time of political division, environmental upheaval, theological warfare. Let us learn from those who attack institutions, sow doubt and fear, undermine civility.
I believe that everyone is my teacher, but I also agree with Khalil Gibran when he wrote, “I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.”
May we recognize all our teachers. And work together for all eikos, the whole household of our commonwealth, Earth.
