Welcome...take a slice of the Bigger Pie

"We have met the enemy and he is us." Walt Kelly's simple words of profound wisdom, spoken through the humble mouth of a possum named Pogo, seem appropriate to describe the mess we are in, no matter what mess you are referring to. These words have been used by right wingers, left wingers, and chicken wingers alike to push forth their agendas. But what they really mean to say is, "We have me the enemy and he is that other guy."

Interestingly enough, Kelly first used these specific words on a poster for Earth Day 1970, which showed our hero Pogo picking up garbage in a trash-filled Okefenokee swamp. But Kelly first wrote about the concept much earlier in response to Joe McCarthy's communist witch hunts. In 1953's Pogo Papers, Kelly writes "...it remains true that those things which make us human are, curiously enough, always close at hand. Resolve, then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving and tiny blasts of tiny trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us."

Kelly later reflected on these words: "I attempted to explain each individual is wholly involved in the democratic process, work at it or no. The results of the process fall on the head of the public and he who is recalcitrant or procrastinates in raising his voice can blame no one but himself."

So it is when we, on the one hand, decry the loss of jobs to China, while reaping the benefits of those low, low prices at the nearest big-box retailer on the other. We mourn the loss of the small, independent stores on Main Street one day, and surf the 'net for the best online shopping experience the next. We put out the call to send the illegal immigrants back home, while enjoying the fresh, low-cost vegetables picked by their hands. We chastise corporations for cutting health benefits, shutting down factories, and laying off good, hard-working people, yet we praise the CEOs and reward them handsomely when they cut costs and increased profits, causing stock prices - and the value of our 401(k)s - to soar. Oh yeah, then there's the part about global warming, the price of gas, and all the trucks and SUVs we drive to work and the grocery store.

We want the good deals and returns on investment, but do we turn a blind eye to the costs to our neighbor and our society? No, we're not like that (well, some people are, but not most of us)! We want the variety of goods and services and our individual freedoms - at everyday low prices. But we also want good-paying jobs, low unemployment, affordable healthcare, good schools, freedom to take our family on vacation. We don't want handouts, but we want to reward hard work with fair wages and decent working conditions. We want good prices, and we want that family-run business in our quaint downtown.

Our competitive, global, capitalist systems are very good at responding to our demands for the latest, new and improved goods and services while driving down costs and prices (we'll skip the dynamics of oil and gas for now). This system allows companies to grow and generate profits to give us returns on our investments. But, what systems do we have to make sure we don't lose as a society? We probably would not mind paying a little more for some of our goods and services and taking a little less return on our investments if we knew those sacrifices were making a difference and were being made by all.

Capitalism has allowed us to continually increase the size of the pie. Why does it seem like so many are left with smaller and smaller pieces...or just the crumbs? I would be willing to share more of my slice if I knew it would make a difference and everyone else would do the same.

That's where we are called upon to make a difference; to Christians, it's working for the Kingdom. For others, it's the "right thing" to do. "We have met the enemy and he is us." Sad but true? Yes. But, also hopeful. If we recognize the enemy, and he is us, we have the power to do something about it...to change. There are reasons to hope....