Soup on Wednesday: Food for Thought - Social Obligations

With a new country to help shape, the founding fathers of the United States of America had differing views on how the country should shape itself. One of Thomas Jefferson’s concerns was to encourage a population of independent farmers/land-owners. His view was that if you had lots of independent yeomen around, the country would be stronger. Because the yeomen could support themselves, they didn’t need governmental help or interference. Therefore the government would have to convince them to undertake a particular course of action. This vision was actually quite successful for the first 100 +/- years of the United States history. In fact, this was such the case that European gentlemen would comment upon the fact that there was no real proletariat in the United States. Instead, it would boggle their minds that there would be 15 patent applications for the same type of kerosene lamp wick.

For a variety of reasons, the yeoman farmer ideal didn’t remain the actuality of the United States experience. In our time, the majority of United States citizens are not independent farmers, and those that are farming … well, when one considers the debt and loans carried to order to farm, one wonders if this is what Jefferson had in mind, too. There has been an industrialization of most of US life.

We are reminded, however, that none of us are really independent, and likely we never were. In order to get goods (whether grain, milk, cheese, wool, vegetables, etc. or manufactured items) we use roads, railways, canals (having changed the course of rivers), river systems kept navigable (drenched and marked), ports, air-planes and air-ports, etc. We then depend upon others to help us sell our goods (in some cases even make them from the raw materials). How about generating the electricity to help the entire process along.

We all stand upon the work of “the great community of saints” (maybe sinners, too?) who have helped to create the infrastructure or sell our goods or provide the services needed. It is part of our “social contract.” We have an obligation to on the one hand pass it forward and on another make the system more just.

When looking at societal justice, this is one piece of the background puzzel that is worth keeping in mind. As a result, it might be worth looking at what it really costs (to you and me) if we bumped the minimum wage up to $10.10 an hour. You might be surprised at the answer.

Boaters (and especially cruisers) like to think of themselves as independent of the shore side entanglements. And to some degree is are further separated. But who made our sails, engines, lines, hulls? Who provides the food we eat? Where do our batteries come from? What about the kerosene, propane, gas or diesel to light, cook, propel, and warm us? We, too, are interconnected to this wide web of humanity.

But I think we can also provide examples of ways to live that are gentler and more in tune with the natural world (everything from solar power to using the wind to travel to slowing down our lifestyles to making time to meet new people and old friends to not consuming as much stuff (there isn’t room to store it all anyway) to … ).

As we move through Lent, how are you mindful of your social obligations and connects? How are your trying to live a more just and compassionate life?

Blessed Be,

Joel