"Individualism is thus not respect for the individuated being of the free person, but simply the human unrelatedness of men and women when organized solely in terms of economic competition."
- Charles Davis, Theology and Political Society, p.178-9
I had a friend ask me some questions about communism recently. We need to be careful to distinguish between Marxism and communism, as Davis points out Marx was also critical of communism that was not intellectually engaged in its efforts to emancipate humanity (Davis, 132). Certainly communism has failed as a project. But just as certainly capitalism has also failed. One needs only take a deep breath of the panic that is engulphing the world to realize our advanced society has an Achilles heal, one that Marx was able to see clearly. We no longer own our own efforts in this world (a dream that was supposed to provide us with even more leisure - but tell that to families managing more than 2 jobs while strangers look after their kids!), we all work for "the man". And while "the man" gets richer, we become less, not more, free. Davis hits it right on the head - we aren't freer, we are more disconnected and meaningless. Something to think about.
2 comments:
Wow - way to halt the Happy Bus, there, Pastor Man.
The circle of life just became that much more insignificant. Thank you for taking it upon yourself to empty half the glass of the blissfully ignorant.
Pfft...communism, indeed!
See you soon for Over-priced flavoured fair-trade COOOOOFFEEEE!
-Ren
I wish Timothy's had just fair trade, it is my guilty pleasure. I do appreciate (and often purchase) their fair trade offerings.
My hope is that folks will be much happier in the long run if they stop living in a dream that is destroying our planet, crushing the lives of the poorest of the poor and giving us false hope in the future. Not to worry, I'm all about hope. And I'm not completely anti-capitalist, I just know that the invisible hand is in desperate need of a very visible heart.
See you soon for some of that glorious caffeinated yummy juice!
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