Who contributes more?

One measure of an economy’s strength is the Labor Force Participation Rate. What percentage of the population (non-government, non-military) is employed or looking for a job? A common gripe I hear is that too few people contribute to our economy.

I think an argument can be made that trust is a greater economic stimulus than man-hours. How much capital and cash flow are wasted because of a lack of trust? What effect does distrust have on investment and employment? Seen this way, some wealthy, employed people actually undermine the economy by eroding trust. And others who may not earn a paycheck contribute to a more trusting society in ways that invigorate the economy. Who contributes more?

The Common Un-Good

Americans live in a culture that resists common good. I once worked for a company that (briefly) preached to its employees, “What is good for you personally will be good for the company.” The absurdity of that statement quickly became clear as aggressive office politics and fraud escalated.

In public life, that word ‘public’ takes a beating. Public transportation. Public utilities. Public education. Public health. Public housing. Public lands. It seems any shared benefit is Socialist. Socialist! But no one talks about public harm in the same way. Carbon, VOCs, and particulates in our air. Forever chemicals in our drinking water. A strained power grid. Communicable disease. We share these costs in common. Common un-good.

What if we flipped the script and labeled public harm ‘Socialist’? Would it make any difference? Or, would the term be defanged and just come to mean ‘common investment’ or ‘shared cost’ of civilized society?

Let’s not keep two sets of books, where we privatize benefits and socialize costs.

“You Motivated Me”

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. — Col. 3:17

I was halfway into my first mile when a young women waved me down. I walked over and she said, “I see you running a lot. You motivated me. I’ve lost fifty pounds.”

What a nice surprise! (It wasn’t my intention.)

We might assume Paul is telling the Colossians to be strategic with what they say and do. But what if he’s just encouraging them to faithfully bear God’s name all the time? Just live this way. Naturally. Genuinely. And then watch what happens. They will experience more eternal life. And perhaps an onlooker will be motivated to encounter it too.