The turmoil of Wall Street and our financial institutions has occupied much of the news these past weeks. We’ve witnessed the sales of Bear Sterns & Merrill Lynch, the government take-over of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the bankruptcy of Lehmann Brothers, the need to under-write AGI, prop up the Money Markets – and now, a move that is identified as the “mother of all” financial moves! An amount of $70 billion [that is $70,000,000,000.00] is proposed to “unclog” the system of “bad” mortgages so the global economy can survive!
This latest proposal is presented to the U.S. Congress with the admonition to pass it ASAP – even sooner if possible. Senators and Representatives are told of all the dire things that can/will happen if they falter or delay its passage. Even while admitting it is beyond the scope of anything ever before proposed – and admitting that it will raise the national debt to $11.3 trillion – the legislation is proposed as a “must-do-now”!
That same urgent rush-to-judgment brought us the Patriot Act [which we later have learned negated some of our basic freedoms] and the Homeland Security Department [which has had troubles responding to almost any crisis]. It supported the notion that we had to invade Iraq.
This same urgency is suggested when dealing with issues of social justice.
Now that some states” courts have affirmed the rights of homosexuals to marry, we are told of an urgency to pass legislation that will “save” the institution of marriage!
Now that modern discoveries and technologies have enabled us to have a truer picture of the writings in Scripture, we are told of the need to affirm that true believers must believe the Bible literally. That God really did create all the universes in just 6 days. That the world is really less than 10,000 years old. That Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Etc. etc.
Most of us learned the story of Henny-penny when we were children. While picking up corn Henny-penny was struck on the head by something; made the decision that the sky was falling; and took off to inform the king. On the way Henny-penny convinced Cocky-locky, Ducky-daddles. Goosey-poosey and Turkey-lurkey that her assessment was correct. They, without any attempt to pause and reason, joined her march to the King. Then they met Foxy-woxy! He was able to hi-jack their venture and all but Henny-penny were killed!
It seems increasingly that much of our social responses to problems of crisis is predicated upon the Henny-penny template. Make a snap judgment, based upon a feeling. Avoid taking time to apply reason. Take action that may, or may not, be successful even though its costs, if unsuccessful, will be major.
None of these problems just “arose” over-night. Resolutions must involve reason and not just feelings.
Let’s take a deep breath. Let’s take time to review what we know about the issue. Let’s trust that, together, we can do the necessary task of identifying what really hit us in the head and developing responses that have a better chance of succeeding that the roll of dice at a Las Vegas crap table!
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