Resolving the Economic Crisis

The first step to resolve a problem: identify the cause. In the overtly caustic environment of American politics, where image trumps substance and catchy sound-bites carry more weight than plain truths, politicians, pundits and the people are eager and willing to fix blame but not even remotely interested in fixing the problem.

Thoughtful people, ones who might know others who are out of work, struggling financially, or perhaps facing foreclosure characterize the economy as in a state of malaise - recession is a word bandied about. Those who are actually unemployed, in foreclosure or declaring bankruptcy use more emotionally charged words, words like: crisis, disaster, depression. We know something isn't quite right, but despite the audacious rhetoric to the contrary, few understand the root cause of the global conflagration: concentration of power.

The misuse of power has hastened the demise of every great empire the world has ever known and for good reason. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Nowhere is this adage more evident than in the American political economy. Power concentrated in the hands of the few destroys the aspirations and moral fabric of the many. Without hope and opportunity a society dies.

The issue however, is not that the titans of greed - the masters of Wall Street, the financial elite, and their political puppets - are wreaking havoc. The storm troopers are not yet breaking down doors and confiscating wealth and power. We, the people, cede it freely. In our misguided search for comfort and conformity we give away our power. We are abandoning responsibility and in so doing are relinquishing power.

The consequences of this course are truly dire. One by one, and collectively through our American democracy, we are committing suicide. Confused and frail we are concentrating wealth and power at an unprecedented rate.

For two centuries the American mystique was one of opportunity - the chance to make something of one's life by dreaming great dreams and acting boldly to make them come true. The free market sorted the wheat from the chaff. People knew, at least in America, they had a chance. The egalitarian ethic enshrined in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, guaranteed a shot. People flocked to the United States from every corner of the globe to try. An individual could aspire to achieve anything here. America was once synonymous with opportunity. Now, not so much.

The prevailing sentiment in America today is to secure trinkets and demand comfort. Government and industry provide. The people's role is to consume. We accept bread for sustenance and entertainment for substance instead of a life of inspiration, challenge and creativity. We are lost. The spoils go to the privileged few - an offering, an expense, a dowry of sorts from the distracted and disillusioned masses.

Avarice, arrogance, complacency and fear are the four horsemen of this apocalypse. Desires are infinite yet advancing presents peril and requires effort. For many, rather than risk loss, settling seems attractive. This tendency offers an opportunity for those with drive. The arrogant come to understand and embrace fear as the ultimate weapon to manipulate compliance. Those granted power dispatch misguided solutions to relive conditions we impose upon ourselves.

Each individual, each of us, is the master of our own destiny. We create the reality we experience. The only way we control the power, however, is to take full responsibility for it. If we seek to right our course, we must embrace this truth individually and collectively.

The greatness of America was an intrinsic recognition of the power and promise of the individual. Every man and woman ultimately crafted and created his or her own dream, realized his or her own potential, forged his or her own life. We hide from this truth today. Rather than face an obstacle we reject responsibility and look outside ourselves for relief. We look to others, to industry, and to government to save us from discomfort - each time becoming less responsible and growing more feeble.

To resolve the economic crisis we must address the cause: concentrated power. We, the people, must accept responsibility for the conditions we brought about and in so doing reclaim our power. Only then can we create a new reality.

Scott F. Paradis, author of "Promise and Potential: A Life of Wisdom, Courage, Strength and Will" http://www.promiseandpotential.com/ publishes "Insights" available for free at http://www.c-achieve.com/

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