RBWords - Volume 24 - Number 9: September 2011
Something to Think About
I have spoken here on a number of occasions about the feeling of being vulnerable to the great forces of Nature, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires, floods – “Big Four” fundamental elements of air, earth, fire and water! Sometimes I think I feel the same way in regard to economic forces. I serve as the convener of the Board of Trustees of the fund that supports our Southern Dominican brothers who are on “limited service,” – i.e. disabled or require special economic assistance because of age or illness. Four times a year I convene this board by conference call to review the performance of the “portfolio” and make any decisions about disbursements to the Southern Dominican Province for “limited service.” At these meetings, a representative of the investment firm that manages the portfolio reviews a printed report that all the members receive in advance. These reports also contain analyses of various economic forces at work all over the world! “Globalization” is a reality. I admit I experience what many in our country experience when we see the Dow Index swing wildly like a roller coaster! “Powerless vulnerability” is the best way to describe it!
Each morning I listen to the National Public Radio report called, “Market Place,” and hear yet another economist or investment adviser give yet another opinion. Sometimes they seem to say, “Your guess is as good as mine, but here’s why we guess the way we do!” I count on their skills for the sake of my Dominican brothers in need. Political or environmental forces (like the Big Four above) can send the Dow into free fall and leave investors like us sputtering with frustration. The common advice – just hold on, don’t panic – is good advice but I still have to worry, despite the words from Jesus to the effect that worrying about anything is not going to add a single “cubit” to my stature (or I might add, any advances to the portfolio!)
All the economic stuff is, of course, having an effect on the current political picture, which can be as much a roller coast ride as the economy. Jobs, taxes, social security, Medicare and Medicaid, disaster relief (those Big Four strike again!), tuition assistance for undocumented immigrants, etc.. are parading across the news screen every night and fueling those strange multi-headed debates among would-be candidates for national office. It can all make the hand holding the remote control squeeze till the knuckles are snow white. More than anything else, I pray for peace and calm! IT’S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!
It Has Been Said
What accounts for all the anger and horror in the world around us? Where are the angels? Can they come if we refused to believe in them? What accounts for the darkness in human hearts as the world becomes more and more secular? Why are people turning to drugs for comfort rather than to the Light of Love? I don’t know the answers to these questions. But I do know that wherever the light is, the darkness tries to snuff it out. Perhaps all the terrible things that are happening are, indeed, a sign that the Spirit of Love is abroad, that more and more of us are turning to this forbearing and yet ferocious power who pushes us into doing what we don’t think we can do, who gives us courage we never dreamed we had.
From REALITY AND THE VISION by Madeleine L’Engle