Perspectives of a Wanderer

This is a continuation of The Uncertainties Inherent in Globalism.

While scanning my usual new source, I came across this article in the UK tabloid The Independent:

Has globalization made us more catastrophe-prone?

While I have stated many of the economic consequences of globalization contained in the article, it goes into effects of other uncertainties  (in this case aptly defined as catastrophes) like natural disasters and diseases that I did not go into.  It also gives two excellent examples of how the degree of globalization can magnify the effects of these catastrophes.

The panic over the current outbreak of the swine flu only reinforces the unintended, and unwanted, effects of this globalization.  Just think if there was an outbreak of something like Ebola virus or pneumonic plague.

One item in the article stood out as something I definitely did not agree with:

“While this helps the system diversify across small shocks, it also exposes the system to large systemic shocks,” Raghuram Rajan, who has been an IMF chief economist and adviser to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, wrote in a 2005 research paper.

I do not, in any way, agree that globalization helps with “small shocks”.  In fact, I believe globalization on serves to amplify those shocks from being local to worldwide.

While I am not saying we should insulate ourselves from the world, we must look to the local community for our needs before looking outside.

While over at my usual haunt on the Distributism Yahoo Group, a link to a blog entry was made and the person had some interesting comments when the subject of Distributism came up:

I have heard of distributism. Certainly, in theory it sounds like a superior alternative to either capitalism or socialism, and a much better method for placing the proper dignity on human labor and endeavor. Were a serious distributist movement to arise in the U.S., I would gladly get behind it and support it wholeheartedly.

At present, though, such a movement does not exist in this country, or indeed anywhere in the world that I’m aware of. By this I mean that the quantity of people supporting distributism is simply far too small to establish the infrastructure and re-regulation that would be needed to give it a proper try. Until such time as a serious distributist movement arises, I continue to give Austrian economics my full support as the best of all available, viable alternatives.

And

As a quick addendum, I’d be more than happy to be proven wrong about the viability of distributism in the current social environment, if evidence to that effect exists. Or alternatively, if there is a way to practice distributism even without widespread social acceptance of it, I’d be quite interested in studying that.

I agree, we distributist are very disorganized right now, but there is a growing group of us who are trying to change that. I am relatively new to the concept myself, but I am learning.

There is an incestuous relationship between Global Capitalism and Socialism where it is really now Capitalistic Socialism or Socialistic Capitalism.

What we need is multifaceted. First is a Practical Guide (or Roadmap) for the implementation of Distributism. Second, we need to get politically active with the creation of Advocacy Groups and PAC’s to further our agenda.

Right now, our government is fixated on Globalism and Socialism and that addiction must be obliterated before it obliterates civilization.

Yes, we are at war, and the enemy is “Legion”.

The forces of evil are taking many forms today. Whether it be Relativism, Socialism, Liberalism, Materialism, or even Global Capitalism, all are aligned against the moral and social teachings of the Catholic Church and are trying to drive us away from the Church. Their perversions have infested the world and we must be the defenders against them

We must completely reject all of these even if it means persecution. This means the complete opposition and refusal to comply with unjust man made “positive law”, rejection of excessive material cravings, and refusal to do business with or even associate with those who subscribe to the above perversions. This is the defensive part of the war.

The offensive part of the war is the Crusade of Evangelization we must all partake in to convert people over to our way of thinking. This crusade has a two-pronged attack.

The first is how we live our lives. You have heard of the quote: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words”. This means we must live our lives according to the teaching of Our Lord and his Church. If we do not live accordingly, we will lose the war at this point

The second is a very active evangelization. Yes, what I am talking about can be considered proselytism, and you know what, you are right because it is. We must take the truth to the enemy and get in their faces. Of course, there are some things that must not do.  Those things include:

• Forcing people to convert
• Providing physical benefits in hopes that recipients will be open to listening
• Providing physical benefits only to those willing to listen
• Providing physical benefits only who convert

What we must do is preach the Truth to all, both those who are willing to listen and to those who are hardened to the Word of God.  We must use the public square as our pulpit at every chance we get.

The battle will be long, but we must in it for the long run.  All of us are called to do battle in varying degrees.

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host -
by the Divine Power of God -
cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Time to turn back the clock to a time where life was simpler and morality was not vilified.

The modern world has become so complex and rife with the immoralities of Relativism, Socialism, Liberalism, Globalism, and Materialism, that most (not all) of it must be jettisoned if civilization is to survive. The issue is where to begin and where to stop.

The first thing simpler means is to get as much as possible back to the local level.   We must break our dependence on the whole world for our needs.  And, if it cannot be produced locally, it must be limited (if not completely eliminated) from our lives.   This would be a gradual process beginning with raw material and food production.   Both must be diversified as much as possible.  If something cannot be produced at the local level, then alternatives must be sought first before going outside the local area for goods and then to the regional level before going further.  It also means that, for many of us, leave the large metropolitan areas for smaller town and even rural areas.

The second thing simpler means is doing without things.  This includes living with the seasons.  If something is not available, we do without.  If this means not having certain foods as certain times of the year based on where you live.  It also means not having the most up to date gadgets since they are, in most cases, not necessary for survival.

One thing simpler does not mean is cutting one self off from the world.  We must sill be aware of what is going on since it may effect us either directly or indirectly.

While we are simplifying our lives, we must also turn our focus to re-establishing the moral foundation of civilization.  The means focusing on two things: God and Family.  Both have been vilified in the modern world and must be brought to the forefront since both are essential to establishing a strong moral foundation.

How we go about this is up to the individual person. Personally, I am looking at aspects of the Catholic Worker Movement, Catholic Land Movement and Distributism as well as Catholic Social and Moral teaching as the basis for my plan.    A strong Catholic community identity based on all of these, in my opinion, is essential for this to work.

In any case, we must act before society implodes under the weight of the perversions of the modern world.

In going through the headlines these days, one cannot but notice of all the uncertainties in the world these days.

One article stood out and brings this to light in terms of the supply side and the costs of those supplies.

Shippers face higher insurance as pirates run amok

In that article, it talks about how insurance costs are skyrocketing, but it also talks about alternatives and how they drive up costs too.

Even then, little is mentioned of other issues like geo-political instability (i.e. Chavez).

People are so reliant on the “global economy” today, that thee cannot see or, even worse, refuse to acknowledge the need for a diverse local production of goods for stability.

Until this is more widely accepted and implemented, uncertainty will rule the economy and our lives.

You have heard stories about how a book, or books, has changed a person’s life. Well, for me, I had yet to find such a book until recently.

In early February, I went on my annual silent retreat with the Confraternity of the Holy Guardian Angels. During one of the conferences, the book The Twelve Steps to Holiness and Salvation by St. Alphonsus Liguori was recommended as a book to read. I did purchase the book and I would have to say, even though I have two chapters to go, it was one of the best books I have read on how you direct your life towards God.

Each of the twelve steps has its own chapter and St Alphonsus goes into each in detail on how each is to be used to bring yourself closer to God.  Those Chapters are:

1. Faith
2. Hope
3. Love of God
4. Love for our Neighbor
5. Poverty
6. Chastity
7. Obedience
8. Meekness and Humility
9. Mortification
10. Recollection
11. Prayer
12. Self-Denial and Love of the Cross

Some of the instructions in the book are hard to accept in this day and age, but they must be adhered to if one is to achieve a level of holiness that will lead to eternal life.

Like I said above, I have two more chapters to go but I plan placing the book on my regular reading schedule as reinforcement of its instructions.

I now have one of those books and am searching for others. Do you have yours?

To tell you the truth, I am starting to get sick of those who say we should not “impose our beliefs” on them while at the same time, they have no qualms about shoving their immorality down our throats.

More and more, our right to be Catholics and to live by the Moral and Social Teachings of the Catholic Church are being violated by the immorality and perversions of the Relativists/Socialists/Liberals who are trying to impose their despotic rule on the rest of us.

Maybe it is time we push back and demand they abide by the Natural Laws of our Lord as taught by the Catholic Church.  At the same time, we will also declare that their unjust man-made “Positive Laws”, which are in conflict with God’s Natural Law, are null and void.

Yes, I know many will say that we are not being “Christian” by doing so but, so what.   Being Catholic does not mean that we are suppose to be their doormat.

I mean, the majority of use were not properly catechized  and, other than some of the basic tenets, we now very little about the teachings of Catholic Church.

There is a rich history of writings that go unread due our hectic lives.  I recently picked up a book The Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan by the late Fr. John A Hardon S.J. to give me some additional Catholic writings (at least a couple hundred) and authors.

Even that source is only the “tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the writings of the Catholic Church.  It does not even touch the official documents (like encyclicals) of the Catholic Church other than the Catechism and a few other documents.

To really know the Catholic Faith, we explore these writings.

As for myself, I am making a reading plan that will include both titles mentioned in Fr. Hardon’s book and the official documents of Catholic Church.  I am going to begin with the Social Teachings of the Church and work out from there.  Yes, it is a daunting task, but it will keep me out of trouble (or maybe get me in more trouble, who knows).

I have written in the past about forming a separate society while living within the confines of present society.

With the events of the past couple of months, I believe it more imperative that we do so.   We must remove ourselves by avoiding the perverse trappings of Materialism and Relativism that have in ingrained into society by Liberalism and Socialism.

We must be very careful about who we interact with and, if they do not measure up to the moral and social teachings of the Catholic Church, refuse to associate with them.  If this means setting up alternative sources of necessities, so be it.

In fact, setting up alternative sources of goods may be preferable in all cases since Global Capitalism, which supplies the bulk of goods these days, is a miserable failure and is mainly responsible (along with intrusiveness of Socialism) for the economic turmoil going on.  Only when production is returned to the local/family level and the intrusiveness of government regulations that prevents returning to this state, will true social justice be possible.

The only time this will not apply is when evangelizing the non-Catholic, (and even the misinformed, fallen away, and heretical Catholic) about the Truth of the Catholic faith and how we should live our lives according to the Social and Moral doctrines of the Church.    However, we must live our lives according to these doctrines if our evangelization efforts are to be effective. As Our Lord taught:

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5:14-16 RSV)

We are a light, now live that way.