Sep 9, 2009 
“I can see clearly now . . .” Sometimes “in the thick of things” we see only trees but not the forest. We are buffeted by colliding rhetoric and position-taking and the verbal chaos it spawns. Polarization, the collapse of public discourse and the politics of animosity obscures more than clarifies, generates much heat but little light and distracts us from that which is at the “heart of the matter,” that which is essential, definitional and foundational. These brief paragraphs are an invitation to stand back, get perspective, to name that which is basic – today economics.
Sometimes one needs to get some distance to get some perspective. Like viewing an impressionist painting, you have to stand back, not too close, to see clearly. Or, when we are thinking too fast, we are vulnerable to letting tags and slogans unduly define a reality. Or, if a position on an issue, at least ideally, arises from values and principles, we are at risk if we debate only positions and do not “dig deeper” to explore those values and principles. Oddly, a place that invites me to that distance – “stepping back” or “looking more deeply” – is sitting quietly looking out across the sea. Settled in my beach chair at the tide line at Montauk Point, Long Island or perched on boulders gazing out of that same ocean on Monhegan Island, Maine. I can sit for hours, captivated and mesmerized, simply watching the tide rise. Quietly, subtly, matters that have busied my mind, about which I have been pondering intensely – perhaps too busily and too intensely – come into clearer focus. This post, and likely some in weeks ahead, will offer “gifts from the seaside” – per chance a glimpse of “simple truths” closer to the “heart of the matter.”
The first regards ECONOMICS. No tags or slogans. No ideological apologies. Un-politicized, as much as that is possible. No position to stake or defend. No rants, no shouting. No name-calling or antagonism. No polarization. Just this question: What elements would I want to constitute the processes of social organization called “economics”? What do I want economics to do – to provide the population that lives within that economy? What do I want to be true of my country’s economic system? I’ll briefly name them now. With the invitation for you to frame your own list. Let me know what you’d add, edit or delete. We can expand the dialogue in the weeks ahead. I want an economy that:
1. Provides a process for the equitable production and distribution of goods and services to our population and an international market.
2. Provides fair wage employment in a humane work setting for workers and fair financial return to investors.
3. Responsibly taps and allocates natural resources, at a rate at which the planet can replenish those resources, and, responsibly produces and manages waste, at a rate at which the planet can absorb.
4. Enhances the quality of life, the individual and collective well-being of the whole population – dignity and respect, nurturing of relationships (family, friendship, colleagueship, community), a healthy environment, caring and responsibility-taking communities.
5. Operates within clearly defined values, principles and rules.
6. Provides a democratic process for broad and fair participation of everyone in the decision-making processes related to this economy, especially decisions that impact the lives of given persons, regions, or constituencies.
7. Encourages excellence – rewards initiative, productivity and creativity – but never at the expense of others.
There’s an essay implied by each of these elements. There are sub-categories to explore and implications to examine. I’m serious. Ponder these. Let that pondering clarify your own thinking. Get into the discussion. And we can take it from there together.
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