What We Witness

We Witness:

  • The destructive power of a growth-driven economic model that ignores Earth’s limits and its need to rest and regenerate.
  • The valuing of money and material goods more than humans and ecosystems.
  • The inherent violence of an economy that grows along with the wealth of a few individuals and corporations while the natural world and human well being – the clearest signs of God’s bounty – suffer and deteriorate.
  • The use of international financial institutions, corporate lobbying and marketing, think tanks, major media and military force to secure the wealth and power of a small part of society while a great many others, especially women and people of color are often excluded.
  • “Free trade” and economic globalization that increase ecological depletion and leave masses of people vulnerable through deeper poverty and insufficient access to food, water, education and health care.
  • The loss of people, cultures, species and traditional knowledge forced aside as our lives are dominated by a world view that seeks economic growth regardless of the consequences;
  • Soul-deadening over-consumption and the endless quest for “more” that paralyzes far too many people in wealthier societies.

We also witness the sheer increase in throughput of material and energy in the economy due to expanding consumer demand and economic growth that contribute to climate change, species extinctions, loss of biodiversity, depletion of freshwater and other resources, ocean dead zones, topsoil degradation, deforestation, dying coral reefs and the decimation of ocean fish stocks.

We stand firm in our commitment to a new way of life and a different economy, based on the integrity and dignity of all creation, the common good, ecological health and resilience, sufficiency, equality, solidarity, caring for the most vulnerable and impoverished, and decision-making at the most local level possible.

Some resources:

  1. A graph showing the growth in resource exploitation.
  2. A timeline chart showing countries’ levels of development and ecological footprint. The question for humanity is how do we get all the countries into the box?
  3. Adbusters magazine on economic alternatives
  4. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
  5. Peak Oil and Our Response
  6. Did moral lapses cause the economic crisis? How idolatry, hubris, greed and injustice led to the financial meltdown, by David Hilfiker
  7. HOME a beautiful film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand that speaks of the unbalanced relationship that humans have with Earth, also available on DVD through the Commission on Voluntary Service and Action.

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