Life Does Go On

As I have been obsessing over the intricacies of my recovery I was treated today to the brutal reminder that other people suffer, many more gravely than I.  In church today we were reminded of our ministry to the homeless and later over coffee with a friend who does a lot of social activism we spent a good part of the visit thinking out loud of what we could do to help bring social change to our communities. 

I am feeling about ninety-eight percent recovered now, still feel a bit wobbly at times, but otherwise I would say it is time to leave behind my own tiny sufferings and start thinking again about others.

It would seem from our conversation today that greed, capitalism, and the lack of a moral compass appear to be the main culprits for the social inequality and growing crisis of homelessness we are living with these days.  Capitalism, of course, is so successful because it caters to human greed and selfishness like no other.  I and my friend are among the few of the legendarily selfish and self-indulgent baby boomers who ever made a real and lasting effort to resist the prevailing greed and selfishness of our generation. 

In my case the price has been very high, complicated by other personal and existential factors, the which I have already gone into in other posts on this blog.  Many people viewing the trajectory of my life would probably sneer at what a loser I am.  I have no family, have never owned a car, or my own home, have always worked at low paying jobs, and have also gone through periods of considerable lack and want, all the while clinging to my Christian faith and doling out my life in service to others.  I am happy, yes, at peace, and my enjoyment of the mindful moments of each day has yielded me a rich and abundant harvest of joy.

To many observers the price I have paid is too high, too steep.  People are not interested in suffering for their values and ideals.  Most would far rather drink the Kool-Aid and be comfortable and numb.  And this can be very tempting though it is rather like the frog in the gradually heated till boiling pot of water.

There is nothing really attractive or appealing about sacrifice.  For many it is something scary.  Without it there can be no growth and no real change.

I do feel inspired by the number of young people, the so-called Millennials who do seem to be socially conscious and I think that if they can be encouraged to stick to their ideals and accept sacrifices that they will become a powerful force for positive change.

In the meantime we do seem to be paralyzed: by right wing governments, the power of corporations and banks, the lure of wealth, and the Darwinist savage capitalism that is tearing our communities apart.  The solutions?  I don't have any.  But we can continue to work together in our own networks and spheres of influence.  We will still find opportunities to do something even if it seems very small.  I think this is where we are going to have to work from for now and that this will in time get us ready for the big changes that are soon to come.