In the midst of my late night television viewing last evening (which was the result of either jet lag or excitement about the Dodgers clinching the National League West), I watched political pundits on CNN, MSNBC, and FoxNews discuss our “economic Pearl Harbor” (as coined by billionaire Warren Buffet).
Republicans blame Democrats. Democrats blame Republicans. Both blame Wall Street. Perhaps all of them are correct, but I think another group needs to be willing to take some of the blame.
We have been greedy. We helped caused this economic crisis.
As Americans we want more than we can afford. The banks didn’t make us take out the loan for the house or car that was beyond our means. Congress and the President didn’t make us buy the big screen HD television with a credit card we couldn’t pay off by the end of the month.
Granted, the cost of gas and groceries doesn’t help us. Obviously, losing our jobs when our companies make cuts or go out of business doesn’t help either.
Regardless of our circumstances, we need to make decisions based on a grateful perspective rather than a greedy perspective.
Greed says “I deserve more.”
Greed says, “I want more.”
Gratitude says, “I am thankful for what I have and not mad about what I don’t have.”
Gratitude says, “Anything I have is a gift from God.”
I am praying for our leaders and and for the rest of us to figure out how to not only live within our means but to live generously.
For more on what has been helping me move beyond greed (still working on it), listen here.
Thanks for the fantasitc insight. I am glad that someone else has noticed the irony that the companies that need bailing out are primarily lending firms. So what the government has proposed is that they give these firms monet that the US government does not have so that the American people can continue to take out loans and spend money that they don’t have so that they can have stuff thatthey neither need nor can afford. So while our children will not live as well as we have they probably won’t be ear deep in debt either. I don’t think the problem is our economy I thin the problem is the American dream.