An Other Kingdom

3 ENOUGH IS ENOUGH LIMITS OF THE MARKET IDEOLOGY

I am and there is no one besides me.

—Is. 47:8

Communities are realizing that something is missing in our capacity to raise a child, make a living, be healthy and safe. The shrinking middle class is just one of the consequences of the free market consumer ideology that draws us into this conversation. There are other signposts that we are near the end of a viable social infrastructure. The threat of planetary decline. Our fear for the well-being of the next generation.

One response is growing distrust and cynicism about the future. Cynicism always comes clothed in “realism.” The alternative response is to begin with an act of imagination. Can we imagine another way? What do we need to do, individually and collectively, to imagine an alternative to the market, the system, the empire track? We might begin by seeing the consumer culture for what it is.

THE CONSUMER MARKET DISCIPLINES

The market’s beliefs in scarcity, certainty, and perfection are embodied in a set of disciplines that keep it running smoothly and make it so seductive. Seeing them clearly gives us a choice.

The disciplines that we most need to question are surplus, control, speed, convenience, competition, and individualism. These are widely accepted ideas that promise, if we live by them, things will be best for all concerned. That Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” will guide self-regulation and ultimately benefit the common good.

SURPLUS

The power of language is ...