New Year's Revolution

Uf-dah! 2008 could not end soon enough, eh? Good grief. One year ago I wrote that "the United States is teetering on the brink of recession." Um, I stand corrected as it appears that the United States had entered an economic recession as of December 2007. Not that things are better anywhere else in the world, economically-speaking.

The state of the world economy may be the meta-story, but there are other human tragedies unfolding across the world. They are too depressing for me to take any time describing here, and it's not as if this stuff isn't reported on the news. The reference section below has some links to the typical year-end round-up stories. In one such story, MSNBC reports that "change" was the 2008 Word of the Year. Barack Obama, joined by running mate Joe Biden, certainly made effective use of the word Change, and swept into office on the strength of his promise to bring just that to both the culture and competence of governance in Washington, DC.

Based on all that has happened and is still happening, I think that change is sorely needed, change on a scale of New Deal proportions. I also know that the magnitude of events like those we are currently experiencing can make me feel especially powerless to effect change on a scale that will actually matter in the face of such daunting challenges. This in turn serves as a reminder of two things that I find very important to remember:

1. I need help from other people and can't do the big things in life all by myself; and
2. The greatest change I have control over is the change the takes place in my own heart and mind.
   

In other words, I say I want a revolution, but we all want to change the world. And while I tell you it's the institution that is responsible for the current state of affairs, I know I need to focus on freeing my own mind instead. (And my apologies, as I'm sure that the nerdiest paraphrase of Revolution you have ever read.)

Revolution, by The Beatles


Speaking of freeing your mind, the spectacular collapse of the worldwide financial system reminds me of an alcoholic who has hit rock bottom, the addict for whom his or her life has become so unmanageable and destructive that even in the midst of addiction they know that something has to change, and are finally willing to take the first steps to affecting that change. Now, I am not saying that the recession has hit the bottom yet, and that markets won't continue to lose value for the next several months. What I am saying is that it is my hope that events as catastrophic as those which took place in 2008 and continue to reverberate into the new year will provide the same revolutionary impetus for change. Our government, our economy, and we as consumers and civic participants cannot keep operating like we have been. And while we may not know exactly what form we want this change to take, it might help to pause, take a deep breath, and recall the words of the Serenity Prayer:



Interesting interfaith sidebar: the Serenity Prayer was reportedly written by 20th Century American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. The interfaith angle here is that he was way out in front of any of the Christian churches with regard to the issue of ecumenism. Specifically, while he was an advocate of Christian proselytizing of Jews early in his career, Wikipedia.org states that "'He [became] perhaps the first Christian theologian with ecumenical influence who developed a view of the relations between Christianity and Judaism that made it inappropriate for Christians to seek to convert Jews to their faith.'"

Another good prayer for centering one's self and redirecting one's energy is the Peace Prayer by St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was a fervent devotee of Jesus Christ and someone who devoted his life to literally living the Gospel message of good news for the poor. Even so, I find this particular prayer to have a certain universal appeal that, while it reflects his beliefs and values as a Christian, is not Christo-centric in its presentation:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

In a similar vein, the following prayer is a basic translation of a small wall hanging with an inscribed prayer that I purchased from a craftsman outside of Cuernavaca, Mexico many years ago. Despite the fact that he was trapped in a life of inescapable poverty, his prayer reflects a gratitude to God for the blessings God has bestowed, not the blessings he has asked for. I like this prayer for its ability to cause me to re-examine what I think are the important things in my life, and to be aware of the blessings that exist even in the midst of hardship.

I asked God for strength to achieve great things;
He made me weak to learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health to do big things;
He made me sick to do good things.

I asked for riches in order to be happy;
He gave me poverty in order to be wise.

I asked for the ability to win praise;
I got to feel weak in order to appreciate the need for God.

I asked for all things in order to be able to enjoy life;
I was granted life in order to be able to enjoy all things.

I asked for luxuries and fame;
My God gave me love and friends, despite myself.
Requests that I did not make, I was granted.

My God! Among all men, I am the most fortunate. My God!

Change is the word for 2009. As Mahatma Ghandi would say, Be the change you wish to see in the world- starting with yourself. Shalom.

- Doug L.

Put The Message In The Box, by World Party


FOR FURTHER REFERENCE:

The Year In Review 2008 (MSNBC.com, December 2008)

America Greets 2009 By Going Insane (Wonkette.com, January 2, 2009)

Worst Year Ever (Wonkette.com, January 2, 2009)

Wall Street's Final '08 Toll: $6.9 Trillion Wiped Out, by Ranae Merle, (The Washington Post, January 1, 2009)

2008: Good Riddance, by Lydia DePillis (Slate.com, January 1, 2009)

The Crash: What Went Wrong (Washington Post investigative series, October - December 2008)

Anatomy of a Meltdown: The Credit Crisis (Washington Post investigative series, June 15 - 17, 2008)

Reinhold Niebuhr Biography (Unitarian Universalist Association Ware Lecture Series, HarvardSquareLibrary.org)

Alcoholics Anonymous

Revolution, by John Lennon and Paul McCartney/The Beatles (SongLyrics.com)

Put The Message In The Box, by World Party (SongLyrics.com)