There are a limited number of airwaves. That's why the FCC licenses their use and, back in the good old days, used to require that those who used the airwaves do so for the public good. There's a limited amount of oil in the ground. Why doesn't the government license its use and impose a heavy tax on those who would profit off of it? Why should an accident of property allow the few to control a necessary resource in order to profit off the many?
I'm thinking a lot about balance, lately. How the planet is no longer in balance; how our economy is no longer in balance. As liberals, do we believe that we should live within our means? Why? Why should a single mother working at WalMart live within her means while CEOs live a lifestyle that would embarass a Roman emperor? Had dinner w/ a very old friend last night who was telling me how her son's ex wife is unemployed, driving a Lexus, and sending her son to school w/o lunch money. My first reaction is: that's crazy. I make a very nice salary, and I wouldn't dream of driving a Lexus. But what about CEOs who, figuratively, drive a Lexus while their pension funds go underfunded? Why is it so easy for us to condemn the Lexus-driving mother, but not the CEO?
I'm an older woman and I'm invisible in this society. Why do we allow this? Because there are advantages to being invisible. Clear advantages. Sometimes, it allows us to come out of nowhere.
How do you both support your friends and still hold them accountable for what they say and do? When the group agrees about someone's life, does that make it true? When is being "sick" a form of health for someone in a relationship where being "sick" is the only form of power they own? Do we help them or hurt them when we insist they tell us the truth about how sick they are?
A great teacher once told me that working on your own shadows is one of the best things you can do for future generations of your family. Will I find the will to confront my own shadows now that my grandson is here? If not, what can I expect from him? I held him this weekend and tried to imagine all that he may have to confront in what may well be a 120 year lifetime. Impossible. I settled for massaging his back and singing him lullabies. Is it enough
1 comment:
This is a deeply thoughtful post with some very important questions. I agree that working on our shadow is the hardest and most critical work we can ever do if we care at all about our influence on others. I have been doing this work for a lifetime and have never regretted it. As a result, I am truly a happy person now and I couldn't say that even 10 years ago.
But I'm also deeply pessimistic about humanity's future. And there's no way to solve that. Perhaps all we can do is the equivalent of massaging a baby's back - doing what we can to offer love and support in our own little corner of the world - and maintain our integrity in the process.
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