tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post513227295577335634..comments2024-03-06T04:31:53.093+11:00Comments on Just in CASE: Greed and the economyTrevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-59140711652766389912008-10-30T17:14:00.000+11:002008-10-30T17:14:00.000+11:00Thanks for your detailed comment Greg, I appreciat...Thanks for your detailed comment Greg, I appreciate your thoughtful reflections. Your reference to Ecclesiastes is a good reminder that there are seasons in life. The markets also move in cycles, let's hope that the bottom of this cycle is not too deep and not too prolonged for if its is deep and long then many will be affected. Of course, we know that true richness is only found in Christ not in money and possessions. But people will need support as they struggle through this period. Hard times can also be times that God uses to convict people of their need of him and their inability to control their own destinies.Trevor Cairneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6160916.post-9299708028815854112008-10-28T17:35:00.000+11:002008-10-28T17:35:00.000+11:00Hi Trevor,When things go wrong, it is a common hum...Hi Trevor,<BR/><BR/>When things go wrong, it is a common human response to look for someone to blame. As a society we have become increasingly litigious over the last couple of decades. When we trip over a piece of loose pavement and hurt ourselves, whereas once upon a time most of us might have said, “Oh, what a silly duffer I am!”, now a more common response seems to be to look for someone to blame (council, corporation, private individual) with a view to suing them for as much as possible.<BR/>Similarly with the current “financial crisis”, people are quick to blame banks, governments, greedy stockbrokers and CEOs, previous generations, etc, when it is generally the case that most things that go wrong in people’s lives, most of the time (at least in countries like Australia, where peace and the rule of law are the norm, and we suffer few natural disasters) are mostly the fault of the individuals themselves. I suspect that this is the case with the current situation. Certainly, one might question the behaviour of banks and lending institutions, for instance, in lending so much to so many with so little evidence that they would be able to continue to make the repayments over a period of many years; or in providing larger and larger credit card limits to people who were in many cases already overindulging in that direction. When all’s said and done, however, I think we as individuals have to take responsibility for our actions. <BR/>Wisdom is an excellent antidote to the kinds of behaviour which have so sadly left so many individuals and families in serious financial trouble. Making wise choices does not come naturally to most people (as I can testify personally). I realize that in a post-Christian society such as contemporary Australia it might seem a little naïve to suggest this, but I wonder how much grief might have been avoided if more people lived their lives according to the wisdom to be found in the Bible. So often we read there of the foolishness of attempting to secure lasting felicity through the pursuit of material goals (for example, in 1 Timothy 6, from which you quote); yet this is precisely what we as a society seem intent on doing.<BR/>The other suggestion I would make is that we need to keep the current “crisis” in perspective. It is the nature of markets (financial, real estate, etc) and economies to fluctuate: periods of boom are almost inevitably followed by times of “correction”, or “bust”. It is simply foolish to believe that growth can go on indefinitely. Over the course of 30-odd years as an adult I have seen this happen many times. What goes up must come down: but vice versa, as well. I think it is possible, therefore, to overestimate, in particular, the potential long-term effects of the current situation. We should remember that most of us get our information from the media: newspapers and their associated web sites, radio and TV programs, etc. It is the nature of the beast that bad news will often be exaggerated or sensationalised: good news on the whole doesn’t sell newspapers. <BR/>I think the biblical notion of the “season” might be helpful here. As the writer of Ecclesiastes puts it, there is “a season for every activity under heaven”. We have had our boom season; now is the season of “bust” (supporters of the Australian cricket team might also find some solace in this thought!)<BR/>Jesus specifically told his listeners not to worry about material things, but rather to “seek first (God’s) kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:25-34). This is an area where Christians can set an example by not jumping on the sensationalist, doom-and-gloom bandwagon, but rather urging calm and a sense of long-term perspective. I should add that I don’t think Jesus was condemning wise planning when he exhorted his listeners to “not worry about tomorrow”: rather to keep things in perspective and trust God. <BR/>In the meantime, however, as you rightly point out, Trevor, there will be pain for many, and the challenge ought to be to act with as much justice, compassion and generosity as we can muster – particularly in consideration of the truly poor, who are always the ones to suffer first and most in such times, as more and more people start tightening their belts.<BR/><BR/>Greg TAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com