None of us knew what the debt ceiling was until recently. And now everyone is saying that if we don't keep raising it, it will be the end of the world, a financial Armageddon.
But I am more concerned with the borrowing we have been doing against the asset of our positive humanity. The federal budget concerns will work themselves out. The humanity debt ceiling is the one we should be worried about.
Every time we get into a discussion of how to change and help our society, we begin to argue about things which are distractions like gun control, race and money. But the real issue is how we will pay the societal obligation, the personal currency made of the failures of our once great nation.
And there is no one thing to look at, rather there are three. All of our concerns and challenges are three layers in the cake we all baked in America. They are broad strokes to be sure, but if we can believe and accept where we have pushed our human debt ceiling, then we can lower it and America can be great again. Because you see, we are not great anymore. We are living on past glory, running on the fumes of noble wars and nobler achievements.
Here are the layers, the unholy trinity of anti-humanity.
MATERIALISM - Even though we are a capitalist society, there were always limits to the lust for money and the greed for everything else that is superficial. Family, love and God were the real foundation of a person's heart.
Not anymore.
From the time we are kids, we're told that possessing things makes you important if not better than others. In the past, this was balanced by the above-mentioned values. But now possession and value are the end game. We feel moral assets will be forthcoming if we first have the tangible man-made asset in hand first. How often has someone said: "Let's not get married or have kids until we can afford it?" The only thing worse than this notion is the fact that it is a real concern. We have monetized the very concept of happiness like a cheap DVD player at Walmart.
And to further destroy our hearts, we now believe that we have a God who shows his approval by bestowing us with man-made value and not eternal love, even though Jesus asked his Apostles to give up their wealth to spread His word and priests take vows of poverty. The elevation of external value over internal human worth is the doorway to all things evil.
IDIOCRACY - This component of our national debt is not so much about how smart we are but rather how much we value intelligence. Sadly, the answer is not very much.
We used to aspire to intelligence, feeling that education was a necessity and a pathway to a better life and the opportunity to help our fellow man. Now we do not aspire to, nor do we admire intellect unless it benefits the cause of materialism.
The creator of Facebook is not admired for innovation but the cleverness he used in screwing his friends and colleagues out of it for money. ( I think I hear them canceling my account)
We do not read, expand our minds or pay homage to talent, quality or the aptitude it takes to acquire them. In our intellectual failure, we actually now worship stupidity and see it as a no-nonsense, common-man asset. In many ways, this is the biggest debt we owe ourselves. Man's intelligence has lifted him up over all forms of life on this planet. Ignoring this fact is, you guessed it, not the smart thing to do.
FAITHLESSNESS - Inexorably intertwined with the first two sins is the failure of faith. Faith has been described in many ways but to me it has always been an acquiescence to do good, a commitment to righteousness.
We believe more in churches, men and money than we do in Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Motivated by greed and led by stupidity, we are not Job who suffered for faith but Cain who slew his brother then lied to God.
This is the first debt taken and not paid back in our nation. Faithlessness leads to the substitution of materialism for God and the abandonment of intelligence to explain and sustain the action.
Even if you are an atheist or agnostic you must have faith if not in God then in your fellow man. The lapse of that kind of faith has the same result. (By the way, you are all going to Hell)
I am a religion cynic but I am not a God cynic. Man's process and structure for understanding God is stained by you, guessed it, materialism and stupidity. We do not love our neighbor, we are not our brother's keeper and our hearts are not filled with the light of faith but the earth-bound darkness of our own mortality.
And after this, comes oblivion.
LOWER THE HUMAN DEBT CEILING
Where do we look to fix this problem?
The church?
Excuse me, I was just laughing for a full minute at that. No, that is not the answer and in many ways, the problem. Religious leaders prefer to dispense vague rhetoric and request obedience rather than take action. Sorry fellas but if God ain't intervening on the mess we have now, he's never gonna do it.
Politicians? This just elicits even more laughter. Politicians are not problem-solvers they are directors of influence and usually all they do is direct it toward themselves.
Not surprisingly, the answer is on the other side of your mirror. That man or woman you see is the only person who can save you and the world. And it is actually quite simple. We just have to live our lives in pursuit of the opposite of the unholy trinity above.
Benevolence, intellect and faith will find us swimming in a budget surplus of positive humanity. And best news is we won't need anyone in government to help us do it.
Copyright 2011
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