REEVALUATING OUR VALUES TO CREATE A BETTER WORLD
Addicted to convenience? I’m certainly guilty. This essay is part confession and part my hope for a better future. But first I must admit my own collusion with not living according to my espoused values, to not doing all the things I know in my heart would be better for me, the nation, and the planet.
I did what my generation asked of us; consolidated errands to save gas, didn’t litter or waste food, and recycled more than we put in the garbage. We gave to food banks and other charities, to homeless on the street, we voted and paid our taxes, grateful for the roads, public libraries, and other services. My husband and I were doing our bit. Doing any more than that just wasn’t convenient, especially as we grew older.
At 70, health problems now dominate our lives. Not a week goes by that one of us isn’t at the doctor’s office, the chiropractor’s, or Urgent Care. In hindsight, I know it’s because our younger selves didn’t do the right things. We ate too much of the wrong foods, didn’t exercise regularly, focused more on our careers than our relationships. We lived American lives, ate what Americans ate and did what Americans did – and didn’t do. And now, we are paying the price with terminal aches, illness and chronic pain.
More great excuses not to do what’s inconvenient. To simply shop at the big stores ten minutes away, or use the world’s biggest delivery service to put products on our doorstep. To not investigate questionable brands, the chemicals they use or any unethical business practices. To not research if the company used overseas child labor or kept busting the unions working for fair pay.
All this short-term convenience didn’t touch us directly…until the comparison –the metaphor– hit home. Like our health crises resulting from not doing what was right for our bodies, America is now experiencing a political crisis resulting not just from the overwhelming greed of the one percenters, but the willingness of the majority to do what is convenient rather than what is right.
Ouch, that hurts.
As much as I blame the GOP and oligarchs now in charge, if I truly believe we all have a part to play –no matter how small– then I know I’m part of the problem. I bought toxic food from a company who outsourced their production to a South American dictatorship. Rather than argue, I turned away from relatives spouting misinformation about minorities killing the economy. The list goes on…
I remember a TV interview last November with a middle-aged Michigan couple. She was voting for Kamala Harris, but when her Trump-supporting husband was asked why he wasn’t voting Democratic, he said, “There’s nothing in it for me.” In other words, his self-interest did not extend to protecting the well-being of his own wife. To me, having been brought up on Bible stories such as the Good Samaritan, this showed how far we’ve selfishly fallen away from values we’ve long espoused as a country.
Today I look at our divided country and see one side ridiculing empathy as a weakness and trying to embed greed into our national policies and systems. The other is trying to regroup, taking a hard look at their failures, and reminding us –including me– we need to act according to the values we espouse –liberty and justice for all (not just me)– even when it’s inconvenient.
My husband and I may not be in great health, but by changing our diet and getting more exercise, we’re laying a stronger foundation for our future. In the same way, we can each build a better future for the country by consciously living by our core values.
Right now, that means I’m shopping at the local hardware store for our cleaning supplies, and a local pet store for the cats’ kibble. We joined a CSA so this summer we’ll eat organic foods locally grown. We’re putting our money –personally and politically– where it represents our values. And in rebooting the Retiree Rebels website, I’m looking at what more we can do to let other people know what’s going on, hoping they’ll also take actions within their abilities, time, energy, and according to their values.
The nation isn’t healthy right now, but we can get better by “exercising” our true values with mindful concern not just for ourselves, but others, the country and the Earth. It may take a while, but it’s a start.
