He rode the rails southeast to the city and scuffled along with the other snails through the wind and rain falling from the sky and precipices above. Waiting for a meeting he sat sipping tea and drying out, while watching his fellow humans’ parade by the window. The pure density of humanity, all seeking their destination and serving the consumer gods, are a feast for the amateur social scientist in all of us.
How did it turn out like this? A mere 100 years ago the majority of us lived rural lives of self preservation. We have evolved if you will, into a herd that chases the available dollars, and tucks them away to spend on the things they tell us we need. What a strange evolution. To move from understanding our basic needs and focusing on attaining them for our families so as to spend our free time with folks whose needs and means were so similar, only to become one of the endless who stare into their handheld devices hoping to feel connected, or cared about. What happened?
When these concerns are deliberated it becomes so obvious that it cannot be reversed, or even stopped. The wheel is so big, and wired so well, filtering the vast majority of the wealth to so few, and leaving in its wake the evaporation of an American dream.
Whoa now you say! Let’s not become so gloomy. It’s true; there is more than hope for change. There is an incredible sense of consciousness growing among us. This emergence could not come at a more opportune moment. The sense of service and community is returning. This as you know is becoming a reality. The movement away from materialism and back to community (i.e. family, neighbor, colleague, teammate, teacher, student, boss, and employee) will be the saving of America. Overly optimistic you say now? Do not underestimate the power of ingenuity when driven by a cause beyond simply individual wealth. Think of a new hybrid form of capitalism.
As we evaluate our needs and realign our overly stuffed wants, those that make and bake for us will evolve as well. The large makers and bakers will become smaller and more localized. They will gravitate by the laws of economics to what makes sense and cents.
And to think that this was kick started back on a September day years ago by radicals outside our boundaries who described us as fat, lazy, and out of touch with the spiritual world. And then was beamed into our minds and hearts by the human greed that exposed the fragility of our economic system.
We are still trudging along the rain drenched city streets like ants in trench coats and hats for now, but there is a change brewing, and everybody knows it, and the makers and bakers fear it, and resist it. For now.
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