Sometimes we hear things that make us uncomfortable, ideas that challenge a core belief. Almost by reflex, we reject such ideas if for no other reason few of us readily accept change.
We have concluded for generations that capitalism is king, that it’s the best economic system on the planet. Author Richard Rohr questions whether capitalism has negatively affected our view of the world and how we should treat one another. Sure, capitalism works well for most of us, but the shortcoming of capitalism is that it’s based on the concept of even exchanges—I give you something, and I expect something of equal value in return. It’s all very measured, precise and based on everyone competing on an equal footing.
As Rohr points out, this paradigm can become the framework for the entirety of our lives, our fundamental relationships, and even our basic self-image. Life becomes a series of exchanges based on, “I do X, and you owe me,” or “I’ll help you, if it benefits me,” or “I’ve worked hard, and so I deserve to get …”
None of this is bad, except for—and this is big—the fact it’s inconsistent with what we’re taught as Christians. There is no—forgive the currently political hot term—quid pro quo in the Gospel. We’re told we’re all one body, where everyone has equal worth, and we are all called upon to serve one another—irrespective of what we might get back in return. In fact, the idea of getting something in return is inconsequential in the Gospel.
And that’s what makes us uncomfortable—we’re expected to give without getting anything in return. What kind of crazy talk is that? “We don’t like it,” Rohr explains, “because we feel we’ve worked hard to get to our wonderful middle-class positions or wherever we are. We feel we have rights.” Protecting those rights leads to conflict. Think of the daily news—healthcare isn’t a right (said by legislators who all have health insurance); you shouldn’t receive food assistance if you’re not working; if you’ve entered the country illegally, you deserve to be separated from your children.
This is not to say we should operate without rules, but those rules clearly distinguish between the haves and the have nots without any concern for the humanity of those left behind.
The way to begin making the transition from a system of equivalence to one where everyone’s humanity counts is to remember an experience where you received something without earning it, where what you received was actually a gift. In the big picture, what we have all received is, in some sense, a gift.
It’s a hard idea to swallow if you believe that everything you’ve achieved is the result of your own sweat and toil. And if you are adamant in the belief you earned your place in society because of your efforts alone, the paradigm of equivalence is unshakable.
I don’t mean to suggest we should do away with capitalism. That’s crazy talk too. The issue is, how do we implement within capitalism those norms we are taught by the Gospel? If you say the two are mutually exclusive, are you saying the Gospel’s meaning is limited to Sunday church services?
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Jack D’Aurora writes for Considerthisbyjd.com
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