Irony; or, how the most insightful comment I've read applicable to the "Occupy Wall Street:" movement wasn't written about OWS

Changing the story | Tales of a Sojourner

What is needed is not an increase in wealth, or structural social changes so that the poor can participate in the religion of consumerism. What is needed is a change of religion.
People need to know they are valuable, not on the basis of what they own, or what they do, but on the basis of their humanity. Meaning, dignity and beauty are their birthright, not something they have to purchase on the way [emphasis added].

Sorry about the delay in the publishing of this post, but I've got to keep my priorities straight, like making sure I add this lady's blog to my Hand-Pict Links (they're on the right sidebar for those who might not have noticed them) and adding her RSS feed to my reader.  The only "complaint" that I have about the blog is she doesn't post often enough =oP.  But it's definitely a case of quality over quantity, so I suppose I just might be able to find it in my heart to forgive her, especially since this post gets to the heart of two of the major themes I've mentioned in this blog: 1) greed is not good; and, 2) government can't fix it, since it's a social/spiritual problem rather than a legal problem.

Not a bad scripture reference [the comment above mine posted Judges 21:25], but another one that comes to mind is Hosea 8:7- "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind...." I can remember back in the 1980's when the whole "greed is good" movement began (at least, here in the U.S. I'm not sure whether it over took hold over there in England, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did). What is being acted out here, I believe, is the bitter fruit of this bad seed. If greed is good, yet "my" economic circumstances prevent "me" from participating in its blessings, then one of two things must be true:
1) there is something wrong with "me" ("I'm" not deserving of such "blessings"); or,
2) there is something wrong with the "system" (there is something or someone out there that is keeping "me" from obtaining such "blessings").
(A couple of quick comments here: first, each seems devastating, albeit in different ways: the former, individually and the latter, socially, and second, even worse, there are probably those who somehow accept both conclusions or at least waver between them).
Alnd yet, we have only begun to scratch the surface of the damage caused by greed, for we have yet to examine that done by its main tenet: that things are more important than people.
BTW, I love the line "What is needed is not an increase in wealth, or structural social changes so that the poor can participate in the religion of consumerism. What is needed is a change of religion." I hope you don't mind if I go a'borrowing it, as it seems just as an appropriate response to the "Occupy Wall Street" movement as it does to the England riots.other than the tragic fruit of this bad seed. If greed is good, yet "my" economic circumstances prevent me from participating in its blessings, then one of two things must be true:
1) there is something wrong with "me" ("I'm" not deserving of such "blessings"); or,
2) there is something wrong with the "system" (there is something or someone out there that is keeping "me" from obtaining such "blessings").
(A couple of quick comments here: first, each seems devastating, albeit in different ways: the former, individually and the latter, socially, and second, even worse, there are probably those who somehow accept both conclusions or at least waver between them).
Alnd yet, we have only begun to scratch the surface of the damage caused by greed, for we have yet to examine that done by its main tenet: that things are more important than people.
BTW, I love the line "What is needed is not an increase in wealth, or structural social changes so that the poor can participate in the religion of consumerism. What is needed is a change of religion." I hope you don't mind if I go a'borrowing it, as it seems just as an appropriate response to the "Occupy Wall Street" movement as it does to the England riots.