Is Our Economy the Great Reorganization?
I was listening to NPR today and they were talking about our current global economic situation. One of the big questions was “what should we call it?”
The Great Depression has a name, does this deserve a name? If it does deserve a name what should that name be?
One of the guests spoke up and said that no name would really mean anything for at least a couple of generations. What we call it is not nearly as meaningful or as accurate as what our grandchildren call it. The example of World War I was given. The Wilson administration actually tried to give it the name “the war to end all wars.” It was only a few years before that became a joke.
So what will our grandchildren call this period that we are living through right now? I was giving that some thought and the one thing that occurred to me was (perhaps as hopeful as Wilson’s name for WWI) The Great Reorganization.
Yes, we are clearly in an economic downturn. As I write this, the news tells me that 70,000 American’s lost their jobs today. That can’t be good. It is certainly not good for those families, and its not good for our economy. But all hard times are actually periods of growth.
A great religious leader once said that we should consider it to be a good thing when we face trials because this develops our perseverance and makes us better. (yes that is a paraphrase, but you get the point). Another saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention.” What I am trying to say is that some of the most outstanding accomplishments of mankind come at times of adversity.
Not only are we faced with a bad economy, but we have developed a lifestyle that destroys natural resources and pollutes our air. Scientists tell us that we cannot continue at this pace for much longer without encountering devastating consequences.
We have a trial, but we also have a tremendous opportunity. I really think that our grandchildren (if our civilization makes it that far) will look back on this period, not as a “depression” but as a reorganization. Faced with our challenges we have an incredible opportunity to reorganize our economic, political, and cultural civilization. This is an incredibly exciting time to be alive!
The real question for us is, where will the Church be in this historical moment? Will we rise to the challenge and lead in reorganizing this civilization? Or will we let others lead the way while we follow in hopes of finding solice and comfort?
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