Bishop Geoff Davies
Our political liberation has been widely hailed, but it is increasingly realised that economic liberation cannot be achieved through the very system which is causing the increasing poverty, inequality and environmental destruction in our country, and throughout the world.
Instead of constant growth, we need to establish greater equity so that the 3.5 billion poor have a fairer share of the $1.7 trillion (R18.1 trillion) held by the 85 richest people, as reported by Oxfam. We need to aim for economic well-being, not growth.
Since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, concerned groups across the world have been conferring about the need to stem environmental destruction and eradicate poverty. These are rightly recognised by our government and the National Development Plan as priorities. However, we won’t succeed if we continue adhering to the values, the heresies I call them, which are causing the current crises.
The first heresy is that the pursuit of wealth should be our goal and is the panacea of all ills. The second heresy is that the solution to inequalities is to be found through ever-expanding economic growth – using up finite resources on this finite planet and frequently destroying renewable resources like fish and forestry in the process.
The destruction is not caused by money as such, but by the pursuit – and even worship – of wealth. A root cause is inequality, which is driven by greed. In his Mandela lecture, Thabo Mbeki warned against a nightmare solution of “Get rich! Get rich!” Our economic system encourages this. Every day magazines and the TV exhort us to get rich so we too can revel in glitzy lifestyles.
This encourages self-centredness instead of concern for others and the well-being of the community. It is well documented that once your security is ensured, getting richer leads to no greater happiness. It can lead to increased insecurity, greater social conflict and the collapse of community. It undermines Ubuntu.
Nelson Mandela said: “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.”
Jesus Christ said, “You cannot serve God and Mammon.” Mammon is not money as such, but accumulated wealth.
We need money, but as a medium of exchange, not the goal and purpose of our lives. Our goal should be to improve the well-being and happiness of people and to care for and restore natural habitats. Money is the means of bringing this about.
We have turned this planet of plenty into one of scarcity to maintain our economic system. Food injustice is an example. Nearly two billion people go hungry while tons of food, 40 percent, is dumped daily. Use money as a tool and we will find there are sufficient resources to feed and house everyone on this planet.
Likewise we are not going to stop the rhino and ivory poaching, while the accumulation of money is the goal. Instead, if we ensure that poachers have a share in the abundance of this planet, they will not only stop poaching, but help protect the environment. In Rwanda former gorilla poachers are employed in eco-tourism.
Turn things around and recognise that our planet provides enough for everyone. Transform world economics so that social and environmental well-being is the goal.
The system most politicians favour is premised on constant economic growth. When that fails, there is collapse. This heresy of growth is upheld by most national governments, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the World Economic Forum. Not only is constant economic and material growth impossible on a finite planet, it is now recognised as directly responsible for bringing about increasing inequality and environmental destruction.
Contrary to the reigning economic dogma, wealth trickles up, rather than down. It is morally unacceptable that with our wealth, there is so much poverty.
We need growth, but the right kind: in education, health care and essentials like food, water, sanitation and housing.
A key is found in the writings of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, all condemning usury (lending money at exorbitant rates of interest). The consequence of usury is that in order to pay back the interest, we have to drill for more oil, clear more forests, catch more fish, and consume more and more goods, to pay the interest. Charles Eisenstein, in his book Sacred Economics, shows how we can have a transformative economic system based on sound ethical values and religious principles that encourage constructive investment.
At present we have trillions of dollars circulating the globe, being exchanged every 14 seconds and making more money for those who already have much, but doing no earthly good.
Instead, invest your money in constructive and positive enterprises, like a factory or a farm or a hospital or water reticulation and sanitation. These investments will help develop our society, restore our environment and provide a return.
l Bishop Davies is Patron of the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute, a multi-faith, Southern African, Non Profit Corporation, with members from a broad spectrum of faiths, including the Baha’i, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Quaker, and a wide range of Christian denominations. Safcei has invited Charles Eisenstein, the author of six books, including Sacred Economics (2011), to South Africa for two talks on Thursday, September 4. The first, at lunch time, is at Parliament, for Civil Servants and Parliamentarians. The second is an open lecture at 6pm at the John Day Lecture Theatre in the Zoology building of UCT. This is a major initiative to explore ways of establishing a fairer, more equitable, just and sustainable economic system and society.