When I was first told that I would have to read an article whose title was “Faustian Economics: Hell hath no limits”, I pretty much became dead set on skipping the assignment. However, due to the fact that my grade partially depended on it, I decided to go ahead and read it.
Honestly, I am glad I did.
I found what Wendell Berry wrote to be not only interesting, but also hauntingly accurate. Americans have lived in a seemingly limitless existence for far too long. However, because not everyone can be without borders or constraints some people’s limitlessness is going to come at the expense of other people’s (or things’) basic freedoms. By basic freedoms I mean those freedoms that are constitutional/human/ necessary freedoms, not the constant add-ons that we Americans constantly reward ourselves. This concept of limitlessness, of moveable, changeable and extinguishable borders is best illustrated by viewing the complex entity that is American economics. According to Berry, “the commonly accepted basis of our economy is the supposed possibility of limitless growth, limitless wants, limitless wealth, limitless natural resources, limitless energy and limitless debt”.
Even attending college (the reason for why I am reading this piece in the first place) hold true to this idea. For many people post-secondary education can mean upwards of $40,000 in debt. But let’s face it, is debt really that big of a deal? I mean in American we really can live with no money at all, as long as that’s not how we started out our lives. In our world debt is okay becayse some place somewhere there is someone who can loan us something so that we can get something else that we might (or might not) not.
Our desire to live without limits has been resulted in widespread and unfortunately widely accepted greed and wastefulness. We want more and more and more….and more and then underuse, or exploit to the point of ruin the things that we get. As Berry puts it, “ it is now and forevermore too late to use thriftily the first half of the world’s supply of petroleum.” First half. That means that there is a second half. Which must mean that there is a limit……No. Impossible. Maybe over there, maybe in some underdeveloped nation. But not here. Never here. But think about it for a second. Maybe we should be preparing, just in case. I’m probably wrong about that seeing has petroleum consumption really hasn’t slowed down at any significant rate in the past decade. I am sure that most of us are guilty of getting in our cars and riding somewhere we could have easily walked or to some place to get something that we don’t even really need. Whether we like it or not Berry is right. “We will keep consuming, spending, wasting and driving as before, at any cost to anything and everybody but ourselves.” So let’s have some fun for now, and let our great-grandkids foot the bill.
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Alex, This is really an important post. I hope to see parts of this in your final essay. Nice work! It definitely recalls for me both "just add water" and the Hanes commercial. (Check it out on youtube.)
ReplyDeleteI liked your commentary on the reading. It makes me feel like mine is less than perfect... BUT what I realized while reading yours is that you talk about our lack of the concept of limitedness causes others harm. This relates to the Broome article we read when he weighs the ethics of pollution. It is the same idea. Having this concept of limitlessness, causes us to be unethical by definition.
ReplyDeleteI like that you used sarcasm to convey your message. The fact that our nation is materialistic and obsessed with credit cards creates a very bad combination. Think of the purpose of credit. It allows one to buy something now even though they do not have the money to actually pay for it. But there is a truth to your statement when you question if "debt is really that big of a deal?" Essentially, mot states and the Federal government is in debt. The national debt is somewhere in the trillions and we are only driving up to the costs. Our economy is almost a hypothetical concept rather than an actual financial system.
ReplyDeleteYour last paragraph is my favorite. It really sums up that we basically either don't think our driving where we could easily walk will have that great of an effect on others, or that we do and simply don't care. It's absolutely true. And your last line is great. It reminded me of the movie because that would totally be a normal thing for grandma to do in a town like that.
ReplyDeleteAlex I really liked your last paragraph the best. The whole, we're America our oil will never run out idea is really true. I think as for the part where consumption has not come down at all is not becasue of the amount of oil but because of us. As long as the companies are selling us gas and oil we will still be buying it, no matter how much may be left. It's like were running blindfolded and can't see the wall in front of us. That's just going to make it hurt even more when we hit it.
ReplyDeletei completely agree with you!! we live in the united states of stuff and limitless wants..like sometimes i feel like we as Americans dont really know how to really appreciate things because we have soo much, already and the pile just keeps on growing. Like you said college debt isnt even really a big deal sometimes, cuz we have the mindset that we can just get a job and pay it back once we are done...it doenst really phase us. My parents are immigrants, and the mindset that i see they have as well as others that arent really as "americanized" is so different, they are much more cautious than the ave american when it comes to buying n spending and what they use.
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