the crashing retail economy

On January 2nd, of this new year, 2009, AOL posted an article from CNNMoney.com titled “14,000 Retail Stores Could Close This Year”.  A dismal picture is painted of the economy that will result in the horror of consumers, that would be people like you and me, will have fewer choices for stores to shop in or products to by, oh my.  There is the threat of a landscape of strip malls sitting empty because stores can no longer survive in this scaled down economy.  People will no longer be buying stacks of t-shirts and dozens of pairs of shoes now that they have, or think they have less money.  People must ask the ultimate question, the one that creeps upon them like the truth from out of the shadows that nobody wants to face, and that question is “do we really need all this stuff?”

It’s ironic that the wholesale conversion of land into strip malls and shopping developments was overdone with it’s foundation upon a short sighted view of the future that depended upon greed; the consumer greed to buy, buy, buy till you go broke and then buy some more with credit.  Now stores sit empty on land that once consisted of forests and wetlands that helped to control flooding and keep the air clean.  Land that once grew food which by the way has increased in cost as agriculture is no longer a local thing but tied into this global economy that depends upon greed. 

We are faced with a serious dilemma regarding the closing of stores which will result in the loss of jobs which, in a recession, are not easily replaced.  How our society responds in helping the less fortune is a test of what kind of heart we have; whether it’s a heart of greed or one of compassion.  But, this new economy also provides our nation, the world, with an opportunity to create an economy that’s not based upon greed, consumption, and exploitation but one that’s based upon environmental sustainability, justice, and peace. 

Empty strip malls are an icon of greed that consumes and abuses the person transforming them from being human into a cog in a merciless system of consumption; into being a consumer that is soulless.  People are not consumers but living beings whose significance depends, not on what they can buy, but in the quality of life they live within the context of human relationships.  To base the self-worth upon purchasing power creates an injustice and fuels greed to acquire more stuff whose significance is shallow and thrill quickly fades leading the person to purchase more.  While this cycle of purchasing makes some wealthy it leaves the average person empty because they don’t attain fulfillment or significance but simply a garage filled with more stuff.  So the solution in a greed based economy is to buy more stuff as if it were a drug and the consumer a junky needing a better fix. 

Jesus said where our heart is there will be our treasure.  This doesn’t mean we should live without anything like hermits in the wilderness.  There are too many people for the human population to live that kind of lifestyle and those that do have a special calling in life.  But, for the rest of humanity Jesus raises the question about what we find ourselves attached to, what is the god we serve.  If our god is consumerism then that is where our treasure is; with stuff and stuff and stuff that leaves us seeking more stuff that we don’t need and an economy that collapses. 

Instead we need an economy that provides for the basic needs of people while freeing humanity to contribute to society in ways that are meaningful thru service to the poor and meaningful community interaction.  We can’t live without an economy but an economy should not rule our lives.  Life’s worth is born out of human interaction and contributions to society that create healthier and more holistic ways of living.  It’s a life that is devoted to love, the love of God and the love of all humanity regardless how much they can buy.  But, this kind of economy will only come if people are willing to let go of greed and change.