McEmpires vs Gospel

By: Paul Novak on: 20.09.05

Our holidaying apostle Paul sent this offering on Globalisation and Consumerism from somewhere in the corporate nation of USA this week.

I offer this email sacrifice as a peace offering. I am away from you in body, but in your way virtually.

Firstly, as our discussions started, the corporation is the current dominant organisational system in the world and houses many evils in this world, but itself is not evil. Let there be no confusion - a system of organisation can never be greedy. Rather, it's the people who are in the system, who allow their own greed to be enticed and then use the system to that end, they are the ones who cause the evil. They will be called in to account by the great Chairman when he returns. He cannot send a corporation to hell, but he can certainly send a board member.

What shall we say then? Can any system of organisation in itself be evil per se? Neigh. The system simply exists. However its implementation can reveal evil in peoples' hearts.

Communism, of itself, isn't evil. In fact, its original intensions were noble. It's implementation often reveals the same greed and corruption as capitalism, allowing the prophet to write "Some animals are more equal than others."  Feudalism too was not an evil structural system but succumbed to greed when second and more generational vassals were not feeling the same sense of indebtedness to their respective lords.

Dictatorships and kingships are not evil in themselves. However the dictator or the king can be. Babylon during the time of the Jewish exile had a great system going, dominating the known world, but it was purely centred around the greed of the Babylonian kings. And the intrinsic violence used to enforce the system was like none other. I am told of a relief on a stone wall where the picture shows the king and queen sitting down to eat at a feast. If you follow the line of sight of the king he is staring at his enemies' head - decapitated - sitting on a pole on the opposite wall.

And of course the violence to enforce the Roman system at the time of Jesus is obvious to all who went to see our "Stations of the Cross" gallery at Easter. Still, it was a great system that worked well for the Roman citizens that is.

So now why didn't our own CEO say something? Didn't boycott walking on Roman made roads, for instance? Didn't avoid touching Roman minted money? Didn't march up to Rome's gates and walk right into Caesar's courts pronouncing the abuse of human rights that was going on while the rich just lapped it up?

It appears that he had a mission that overrode any attempt to change the dominant world system. He used the system to achieve his own ends. He walked on Roman roads. He lived under Roman protection. He exchanged Roman money as a carpenter (I'm taking an educated guess there). And in some degree, allowed Roman violence for his own ministry.

An apostle, who shall remain nameless, did the same. Walked on Roman roads and used his Roman citizenship to avoid a flogging. His vision overrode a boycotting of the system and in a peculiar sort of way, out lived it.

And not that I have the same vision, but I must admit, I used Qantas to fly here, Dell to write this message, Telstra to send it and a dozen others large firms in between. Without them, none of these luxuries would be possible. I'm using the system … and loving it. … well of course I am loving it … I'm rich. I benefit from the system. I can afford what the corporations offer and thereby help them reach profitable targets. However, if I were a victim, someone fishing around an Egyptian garbage tip trying to find something to eat, I may just have a different opinion.

So what else can we say then?

Being a post modern, young urban professional and a sensitive new age guy, I am acutely aware that my social position and history has formed my opinion on this. My own father escape the political restrictions of communism simply because freedom is better than not having it. I therefore tend to favour the freedom of the individual and will harp on about our CEO saying "For freedom's sake I have set you free". Note that this is not saying "I have set you free" so that you may "worship God properly" or "behave the right way now" but "freedom" in itself is an end. I therefore tend to favour a capitalist democracy based on the freedom of the individual, which allows the corporate system to flourish and thereby, with the current tools of technology, begin a move of globalisation.

Having said that though, I want it noted that no system is perfect. Some of the horrors of globalisation has shown just how imperfect a corporate based system can be, or at least lead people to give into their greed. But I remain a firm cynic. Replace it with another and you will have the same problems but in different disguise. As the prophet sings: "We build machines that we can't control." No matter what age or what culture. In the garden we were destined to control all such created powers - the economy, the weather, our health and even ourselves - but we gave that up for the knowledge of good and evil. 

What we need is a person who wont be corrupted by power, and then to set up, say, a family based system, centred around himself. Didn't the CEO say something like "All power has been given to me …" and then walked straight to his crucifixion? Imagine that, a person having every power and not using it. I'd like him to start a company.

So, what shall we do then?

You can join corporations claiming that they are the tools God is using today for his own purposes. Find yourself made as a manager walking in their hallowed halls and vaulted lobbies, making edicts of what people must do to survive in this culture.

You could form a sub culture with other like minded people whereby you stick to certain Christianese rules -  not smoking, not drinking, not dancing, etc, making sure you tithe each week on everything. Then you would know that in this ambiguous setting of corporate greed you at least have done what God has asked of you.

You could grow your hear long (well some of us could), wear alpaca wool beanies (among other things) and physically sabotage any large corporation that is benefiting from globalisation.

You could retreat out to the desert, build your own community and make a long list of rules to ensure a rightful governing. You can also interpret the minor prophets as specifically speaking into this time, naming certain leading board members as being the recipient of a prophet's judgement. Write all these things on scrolls, stick them in stone jars, place the jars in caves and in 2000 years scholars will marvel and the diversity of Christianity during this time.

Or perhaps …

You could study law and economics and become a board member yourself. A long road and not for the faint hearted. One would have to practice not playing into one's own greed now so that you can trust yourself later when you are entrusted with large sums of money. But I have heard of wonderful stories where it has been done successfully.

You could become a politician and make laws regarding corporations within Australia. Although I would caution those entering one system believing they will have the power to change the governance of another. You may just find that you have swapped the temptation of greed with that of power. This route might end up being a great ocean for such a little boat, but still, mightier things have been done by smaller entities. Our current federal government seems to believe that the market has a brain and it shouldn't suffer interference. I think the market only has emotions and needs to succumb to at least someone's brain.

You could target a corporation and deliberately buy shares so as to have a voice at company meetings. This seems congruent with the use of the dominant system to achieve the goals of a different vision. Instead of buying shares in the hope that you will sell them at a higher price in the future, you buy them in disregard to their price, knowing if the plan does not work you can sell them in the same vein. However I remain ignorant here and am unsure how much of a voice you have as a shareholder. The latest fiasco with the government holding Telstra shares reveals some of this.

You could go to small boat and suffer long emails sent to the list and quietly mutter the words of Monty Python: "Skip a bit brother."

And so I shall.

I'm going to be off the air this week.

I send greetings to all and may the discussion continue with bells on.

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