President Jimmy Carter. A Prophecy
a blog by Alan Ewing
We live in an age now of mass consumerism. All spiritual values tossed aside in the madness of the Fruedian id. No longer sociologically do the ego or super-ego exist. Everything is based on "I want" and self-opinionated bluster. Money has become the god ...the golden calf. In 1979 Jimmy Carter, President of America made a heart-felt plea that still resounds to this day. It was ignored, and Reaganism/Thatcherism would come to rule the world. For some that meant standing up to the Soviet Union. For others, it meant hard poverty as the rich got richer as they protected their interests.
Carter in early parts of the speech outlines energy and consumption. Fine, Amereican domestic politics then. Though he goes on to outline not just the future of America, though also the future of humanity; Watergate and corruption; the loss of caring in society.
"Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy. As a people we know our past and we are proud of it. Our progress has been part of the living history of America, even the world. We always believed that we were part of a great movement of humanity itself called democracy, involved in the search for freedom; and that belief has always strengthened us in our purpose. But just as we are losing our confidence in the future, we are also beginning to close the door on our past.
Carter outlines how Americans , the leaders of humanity, has become economic in nature and is failing to see the spirituality upon which it was founded:
"In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit
communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship
self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one
does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and
consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We’ve learned that
piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no
confidence or purpose."
The speech stands as a statement about all that was to come. The selfish greed that would appear. Maybe it is time for the centre-left to redraw itself and realise that the only way back is to take down selfishness and greed. To create a more humane and caring society, that can then be addressed to the developing nations.
Speech here ...ic.com/speeches/jimmycartercrisisofconfidence.htm
Alan Ewing
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