Edgework

I am what I am because of who we all are (Leymah Gebowee).

Charles Dickens begins The Tale of Two Cities by stating that “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” I think this is an apt description of what is happening in our world today. Mostly we hear about the latter. And one doesn’t have to look overseas to see the dark side of reality. According to Chris Hedges, America is an Empire of Illusion that has overstretched its reach. With most of its wealth flowing upwards, governments and individuals have been borrowing money they cannot afford in order to keep up the illusion of a common prosperity. Everyone knows that most of these debts can never be repaid.

In his book, Collapse, Jared Diamond states that, “Corruption, mismanagement, and political inertia by an elite, which is beyond the reach of the law, almost always result in widespread cynicism, disengagement, apathy, and finally rage.” And Joseph Roth asserts in The Emperor’s Tomb, that “The earth is strewn with the ruins of powerful civilizations that decayed…Not all died for the same reasons…but they all, at a certain point were taken over by a bankrupt and corrupt elite.” America should take note.

I once thought of corruption as synonymous with the third world. I now understand that corruption is also deeply embedded in our advanced western civilization. Regularly we hear about powerful companies caught in bribery scandals. Even some of our politicians are frequently found to have violated financial regulations. In my own city, I am sometimes asked if I need a receipt for a service rendered. If I say I don’t, the price is cheaper and the money – cash mind you – goes into a pocket.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with this dark side of contemporary reality. But just when I am tempted to despair, I come across some good things happening in our world. A few years ago, I heard of a successful businessman in California who began to give all his employees large annual bonuses in order to share the prosperity. According to a recent Time Magazine article, this idea has caught on big time. It states that, “Last week some 8,000 profit sharing plans were on file with the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Each month 200 more are pouring in for approval.”

Something positive is happening on a global scale that looks like good news. Many billionaires are beginning to realize that amassing evermore wealth does not improve their quality of life. As well they are coming to understand that the flight of money away from the masses does not bode well for societal sustainability.  Warren Buffet and Bill Gates are trying, by means of example and persuasion, to launch a global wave of philanthropy. The Globe and Mail reported recently that they have already persuaded nearly a hundred billionaires to pledge the bulk of their wealth to charity. One of their latest converts to the movement is a mining tycoon in South Africa, Patrice Motsepe, who is worth $2.65-billion. He has pledged to give away at least half of his wealth to “improve the lives of poor, disabled, unemployed, women, youth, workers and marginalized South Africans.”

Wow, that sounds similar to the story of Zacchaeus in the Bible! Upon meeting the Lord, Zacchaeus declared, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount” (Luke 19:8). Obviously his encounter with Christ had re-oriented his thinking about his wealth.

Motsepe’s decision to join this global movement toward greater philanthropy is rooted in the African concept of Ubuntu.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu defines Ubuntu as follows: “A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others and does not feel threatened that others are able and good. Such a person has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.” Tim Jackson refers to Ubuntu as, “…a philosophy that supports the changes he says are necessary to create a future that is economically and environmentally sustainable.”

Philanthropy by some rich people has always existed. But it seems that what we are seeing these days is a massive amplification of the rich divesting their wealth on behalf of the common good. In some sense it could be thought of as voluntary taxation; an interesting phenomenon, given the strong resistance prevalent to tax hikes on the rich.

I sincerely hope that the reversal of this money flow will happen is such a way as to allow recipients to maintain their dignity and build foundations for a prosperous future not dependent upon the continued philanthropy of the rich. There are many ways in which this can be done as organizations like Mennonite Central Committee, World Vision, Mennonite Economic Development Agency and many other Non-Governmental Organizations have demonstrated over the years.

I am uncertain about how the second part of Zacchaeus’ declaration might apply in this context. I am sure that some of these super-rich people have come by their wealth honestly. But it is possible that some of that concentrated wealth may, in fact, have been made on the backs of exploited workers. I suspect that the spirit of Ubuntu would also require that wealth be acquired only through honest means and fair labor practices. That might require wealthy people, in some cases at least, to change practices that would allow some of that wealth to remain in the community in the first place. Then the need for philanthropy would not be as great as it now is.

We should remember, however, that Ubuntu is not only for the super – rich to consider. Each of us, no matter our socio-economic level, would do well to consider Zacchaeus and the concept of Ubuntu in our every-day lives.