by Gary Berg-Cross
In an earlier post I proposed an outrageous solution to Climate Change. Make it a bet with $$ behind it to help the winning side. We'll need trillions to clean up the mess if it is an accurate prediction of a similar amount to heal wealth that is taxed to solve a non-problem. Well
the 1% creeping into the climate change issue and they are part of the destabilizing
wealth gap issue. It is worldwide, (see Thomas Piketty, professor at the Paris School of Economics) but just
the trend in US is troubling with lots of downsides and destabilizing effects. So they say.
It’s
“ Let them eat cake” and what follows are problems of neglect. I’ve got mine and earned it (well I was born
into a worthy family in a prosperous place). But who wants the French Revolution on a global scale?
Now
in finding a solution here we want to avoid class warfare. Well since one class has
the weapons that wealth brings such as owning politicians and media that's not likely to work well.
To
ease the problem we might dream of outlandish solutions like Scandinavia
annexing the US or China buying up the Kochs, but that’s not likely.
So
here’s another idea to find some transcendent force that can close the gap despite the 1%
opposition.
We can start a morality-based
religion.
Something where solving the wealth gap is a moral good, espoused by
Religion. I've heard rumors that this
idea is in some religions, but obviously the message isn't getting
through. It’s buried too deeply or
covered up by other commandments and priorities or abstractions that are interpreted
by special people who have a direct line to the supreme mover.
Indeed
there is a prosperity gospel which pushes things in the other way towards the
chosen 1%.
So
maybe we have a good start from some earlier work in this area but we need to
start over. Earlier efforts has been
captured by elites and we have wealth religions.
Let’s
be a little scientific and systematic about this and get to useful ends like
narrowing the wealth gap.
Practically
we need an inspired book to start. Who
can we get to Ghost write the book? Chis Hitchens’ ghost perhaps? Wishful thinking. I tried that and got no
response.
The founding fathers might be good, Jefferson and Madison
could take a swing. They might include
Tom Paine. That’s a better set of
writers than most books of revelation can claim. Unfortunately I got no response from them
either. Maybe I’m not a good conductor and
need to fast in the desert a bit.
Perhaps a team of folks lead by a philosopher like A.C.
Grayling might ghost the book. His “The GoodBook" is certainly a good start with parables and quotable ideas that get
at thinking, belief and lifestyle values.
Here is one example that gets at the asymmetry or wealth issue in a
moral, reasoning way:
These reasonings are unconnected, though foolish people think them:
’I am richer than you, therefore I am
better’; ‘I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better’.
The true connection is this: ‘I am
richer than you, therefore my property is greater than yours’; ‘I am more
eloquent than you, therefore my style is better than yours’.
And he reuses much wisdom to put wealth and foolishness in perspective:
"Prosperity reveals vice, adversity virtue;" and
"They are strong who conquer others, they are mighty who conquer themselves."
We just have to treat the ideas a bit more reverently. Dress
it up and get some persuasive spokesman out there. Maybe Chris Hitchens will respond from beyond
in time. Here’s an idea we'll just make
it up as if he has.
Ok, so we start with a revered book and disciple who
preach the message. I guess we’ll need
some institution building. How about
Humanist Libraries and academies where people come to learn and hear the
word? Well we do have a start with AHA,
CFI and others (like WASH), so I guess we just need to gear up with long range
and short term or conversion approaches flowing out of them.
We probably need a better conversion mechanism to get
this rolling. What facilitates conversions?
If it isn't the gradual process of being raised in the culture (a
long-range approach), it’s all about sudden turning points and well crisis. So
we need to be prepared as they come via the wealth gap as the 99% run out of
cake. Let’s be ready for the next big finanhcial bubble bust. Sudden conversions will come as a result
of overwhelming anxiety and guilt from personal errors. Why didn’t I sell all my stock or protect my
retirement of sell my house or not take on that college loan? Guilt will becomes uncomfortable, making
conversion a functional solution to ease these emotions. What actions will ease this guilt? Let’s
get into those Occupy Wall Street crowds and Walmart protests and get people committed
to a moral, caring society.
So Psychological understanding helps. We can leverage for
example Rambo, L. R. (1993). Understanding religious conversion. New
Haven: CT: Yale University Press.
We need to structure the right type of encounters and
interactions as people search for a solution to problems caused by some people having
it all and not contributing to solutions.
Using our Gooder Book we can lead converts to a moral society recognition
and a new identity. We’ll probably need some songs and ceremonies. We can leverage the progressive community a
bit here.
We can expect some pushback for sure. After all this would be a pretty “light”
religion. I guess we should use Religion in quotes. So "religion."
One without the usual God,
spiritual aspect. So we may have to get
the Templeton Foundation to fund us and help clear the way with things like
their evolution of "religion"
efforts. It's might be a challenge, but, hey, let's keep the faith and try.
We should have a contest for the best name for the new
religion. Something catchy like secular
humanism perhaps. Let’s give it a try
and cross our fingers (is that too superstitious?) for the best. I sure hope we
don’t need martyrs to make this work.
