This mantra, especially when combined with an unshakeable sense of entitlement, links the culture of violence with its intimate buddy, the culture of greed. Watch this video for a compelling picture of this destructive relationship.
Sadly, many people believe the U.S. Constitution entitles them not just to pursue happiness but to have it hundreds of times over in whatever form they wish.
On a national level, this belief powers the pursuit of resources that belong to other nations and communities. It mobilizes our troops to go off to die on behalf of the security of the wealthy and powerful.
It permeates the military industrial and banking complex as they starve the poor, replace workers with machines, deplete the middle class, plunder the environment, and pile more and more goodies into their trophy bags. It energizes exploitation, abuse, punishment of dissenters, and rape both inside and outside the military.
On the level of the ordinary citizen, this belief can lead to unchecked use of credit cards, sacrifice of the next generation’s future, and financial burdens that benefit the rich.
This poem by Tom Greening describes the process well:
WEALTH
I will not let your unemployment
infringe upon my own enjoyment
of life’s resplendent luxuries
or dampen my rich fantasies
about how God should guarantee
vast wealth to citizens like me.
My craving for great opulence
is never meant to give offense,
but simply should be gratified
and holy Mammon deified.
Please, during this holiday season, resist all the entreaties to spend, spend, spend. The rich are rich enough. Give love instead. There is never enough of that.
And because I want to finish this post on a happy note, please view this brief video, and be inspired by its message of generosity.
Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology