Has anyone ever taken the stage at a political rally, stepped up to the microphone and announced to the crowd, “I…am what’s wrong with America!” Have any failed business owners ever looked at their liquidation sale signs and said to themselves, “You know, if I had just taken marketing more seriously, or worried more about my customers than I did about my handicap, I might not being going under.” Does anyone look at the annual Indiana Black Expo police blotter and tell their friends, “The inner city might not be so fraught with problems if we didn’t devote all of our time and resources to the townships and suburbs.” Of course not, because that would require us to examine the effects our decisions have on the world around us.
It’s too uncomfortable to think that the financial meltdown was due in large part to people’s desire to buy a bunch of crap they didn’t need and couldn’t afford who then skipped out on their obligations. It’s too uncomfortable to think that BP’s gusher in the Gulf might not have happened if we all weren’t trying so desperately to avoid the reality that our energy consumption is unsustainable. It’s too uncomfortable to think that your business failed because you did nothing to help it succeed. It’s too uncomfortable to admit that for all the talk of Jesus that goes on in the suburbs, most of his followers are unwilling and unable to walk among the meek. (And to be fair, the meek need to stop pointing fingers at the police, city government, and whoever else, and start examining how they help alcohol and tobacco companies, check cashing stores, and convenience store owners keep them poor and unhealthy.)
Imagine the transformative impact we could have if we woke up every morning and said, “I’m the problem,” and then set out to find solutions. What if, instead of worrying about what we want right this second, we made decisions with the knowledge that our choices determine the quality of our collective future? It’s a nice thought but it’ll never happen. Because we all know that everything is always someone else’s fault.
