Earth Day Ponderings & Our Materialistic Culture Where Economics is King

In every civilization there are 4 main social institutions:

Home/Family
Faith/Religion
Political
Economic

I have been listening to The Sermon on the Mount by Richard Rohr and it has helped to make sense of things for me as to our current state of affairs. Throughout history typically one institution dominates and the others become subservient, used as tools to feed the dominant one. In the time of Jesus family institutions dominated. Church services were held in the home for example and the focus was on community and breaking bread. The merchant class was the minority and did not hold much power. However today it is clear that the dominant institution is that of economics. War and politics are used for economic gains. Using the red herring of abortion, religion is used to gather votes to deepen corporate pocketbooks. The military industrial complex is for its own economic gains and to protect other corporate economic interests. Yes our Chief of State is the former CEO of Exxon Oil.

Make no mistake and this is no disrespect of our brave soldiers but the military has been hijacked for corporate interests. Religion is used for fear to justify war. All of our meddling in the Middle East is for our own economic interests yet we are lead to believe that it is for freedom, self determination and to protect innocent children while rejecting these very same child refugees. Church gatherings are no longer in the home but in institutions that primarily have their own economic interests at the forefront and are satisfied to stop at simpleton and short sited born again theology where one can claim one is saved all the while being driven primarily by the ego with truly no deep understanding of their True Self and Christ Consciousness. Where even meditation is frowned upon as dangerous. Does it not merely serve the business of religion to keep their flock dependent and ignorant to their true selves and the charade their church leaders are playing?

Prosperity theology is an example of this where to be rich is valued over being loving & serving children of God.

Jesus taught to love one another, to pray, contemplate and give alms in secrecy so as not to merely feed the ego and prevent a deeper knowing of ourselves and Christ Consciousness. Now our meaning is tied up in how others see us in our social financial status. Now we are told to be a good citizen we must produce and consume and to be out of work seems to be more despised and judged than to be a criminal. Let us remember that Jesus was a Galilean peasant that taught that the world of love was more important than the law and the world of power. Remember that those who persecute & justify discriminating against the LGBTQ community and other religious faiths are citing verses in the bible, mainly Leviticus, Numbers and Chronicles that were all written by the priestly class who wanted to keep themselves in control by persecuting those that didn’t follow their laws and give payment & subservience to them required to be considered morally and spiritually ‘clean’. It was a racket. Jesus knew this and the New Testament, aside from Paul who was still so locked down by Judaic law, was a radical rejection of any doctrine that stood in the way of compassion. Laws can provide a foundation but I challenge all of us to look at any law or belief and ask: does it prohibit or inhibit love and compassion. Jesus taught that if it did it should be thrown out. Jesus was a threat to the priestly order, the establishment and for that reason was crucified much more than his so called blasphemous declaration that he was the Son of God.

Most Christians never understand this and have fallen into the laws of judgement and control just like the Pharisees did in the time of Jesus to appease their ego and look good in the eyes of others as morally pure. What a shame. What a sham. The teachings of Jesus, so radical that I challenge even the most radical feminist, persons of other faiths or atheist to logically criticize. He simply taught us to love one another. Period. Yet history repeats itself. We still have not learned the good news of the Gospel. That we are ALL, believers and non-believers, children of God. We are all brothers and sisters. And more so than what the bible can offer us, the most clear manifestation of God’s love for us is our very own lives and this planet that we share. Most Christians because of their hypocrisy are discarded rightly so by rational thinkers. Like Ghandhi said, if Christians actually practiced and followed the teachings of Jesus all of India would be Christian. Politically as a populace we would couldn’t be more ignorant. To consume is a religious action. Consumption is actually a virtue in modern times at least in this country. As Christianity dominated the time of the reformation where most of the land in Europe was owned by the church, where in their lust of power many non christians were slaughtered, now we see a similar parallel today with the rise of islamic fundamentalism used for economic gain and power. We are merely fighting the evils of Islamic fundamentalism as we should have fought and fight today the evils of Christian fundamentalism, more this fundamentalist Islamic faction is being used as an excuse to justify meddling, murdering and all out war in the Middle East and other countries where Western and other first world corporations corrupted by greed fight over fossil fuels. The 59 missiles that Drumpf ordered, where the Russians and Syrians were told to leave before the bombs came, when the airstrip was operational only one day after the bombing was a gift to military economic interests, a political distraction and just another excuse to continue to go to war with any country who does not want to play ball with us economically. The Moab bomb dropped in Afghanistan killing unknown innocent people again was a gift, if we build these bombs we need to use them right. And what better testing ground than Afghanistan where other than oil, we fight over mineral interest, the heroin market and trust that the American public will continue to care less for people of other colors and creeds.

And we should ask ourselves in this culture where the bottom line is the almighty dollar. Where financial status matters most. In the land of economic disparity who suffers most? Who starves so that others may feast. How difficult and immense is the pressure on our youth to conform to this culture where economics is king. Where we no longer value the work of our hands, the toiling of the soil, the creation of beauty and peace. How many of our youth have we lost who were not able to feel a part of this culture of economics where outward gains are valued more than inward peace, creativity and joy. It is a unsustainable system. Deep in our core we know this. The child in us knew this and in effort to please suppressed our natural creativity. I wanted to to be an artist or a vetenarian. I chose to be a physician to humans. Partly to be respected and to gain financial independence and be respected in this insane culture of capitalism we embrace. Partly to get to the root of the problem on this earth. To help sick people awaken to their optimal health. If we awaken we can help stop this unsustainable greed machine that is devouring our children, our planet and all sentient beings. There is a price to pay. It is simple biology. When we are not allowed to live our true nature, when money is the ultimate barometer for success it is the biology of the cancer cell.  It takes it toll on children who may go unseen unless they dazzle and impress. Who truly sees each others’ hearts anymore. Our innate value as Children of God. Please listen and see our children and nurture their innate love for humanity, for the earth and all sentient beings. Let go of your need to impress others by how ‘well’ your child does. Just celebrate their God given beauty. Live simply with them. Work toward sacred economic and sustainable models of living that embrace our shared humanity and tread more lightly on this gift of planet earth given to us. ‘Be now here or no where’. Be present so you can truly listen to others. To animals. To this planet and most importantly to your inner being that knows what is needed, that knows your purpose in this life.

So on this Earth Day, let us work to love one another and whether you believe in God or Darwin (note they are not mutually exclusive as rational Catholics and awakened Christians believe in the science of evolution and still believe that God created it all) , commit to self understanding & learned compassion, that we need to protect one another and help save our shared home. Turn off Fox News and any so called news channels, papers or websites that inspires hate & stokes are fears, who call are missiles beautiful and Drumpt presidential when he approves bombings over chocolate cake, who buy in to the alternative facts and party line as justification for more war. Please make the connection, choose the path of kindness and help our planet heal, help feed the hungry and help end unnecessary suffering. Lets learn to live simply again, in a shared sacred local economic model where it is not illegal to live off the grid independent of corporate energy. It is in our DNA to live in harmony with the earth, our native cultures can certainly teach us this. We can be happy with less. With love, joy, laughter, art, whole plant foods that supply all our nutritional needs combining with natural innate exercise we can prevent most disease.

“There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. There is no path toward love except by practicing love. War will always produce more war. Violence can never bring about true peace.”

― Richard Rohr, Jesus’ Plan for a New World: The Sermon on the Mount