Personal Manifesto

           After studying the leisure class, how to go green, global economics, and how advertisers and marketers have influenced the American culture in Beginning Media Writing this semester, my values have been refined. Not only have I obtained information about these subjects, but I have also felt called to applying that knowledge to my own personal philosophy. As a practicing Seventh-day Adventist, I strive to be a responsible steward of what God has blessed me with including the earth, monetary comfort, and my health.

            In The Theory of the Leisure Class, Thorstein Veblen points out the conspicuous habits of the wealthy and their wastefulness. As an American, I am considered as affluent. The pages of this book are filled with the observation and analysis of the behaviors of the rich. Although I do not necessarily agree with everything Veblen posits, I do agree that many Americans exhibit intemperate conduct. One time I purchased a Louis Vuitton purse for $500. This bag, although of fine construction and durable leather, does not somehow perform its function more efficiently than its equivalent at a local retail store. Instead, I paid an exorbitant amount of money to purchase a name that would be recognized by others and place me in the same class as the elite. I bought this purse to prove, as Veblen would say, that I had enough money to waste. I wanted people to have a certain impression of me – that I was glamorous. Looking back on this action, I see that this was a ridiculous consumption simply for my own personal profit. All that I gained was a purchased opinion of myself. “The wealth or power must be put in evidence, for esteem is awarded only on evidence, “ Veblen says (29). Instead of valuing being seen as fashion conscious and able to appreciate the luxurious lifestyle, I have definitely matured (and become more humble). I am learning every day the value of a dollar, that I really do not have the money to spend conspicuously, and that there are much more important ways I could use it. I realize that I do not need the designer name brand of everything, that less is more, and that money certainly is not everything. Admittedly fashionable things occasionally tempt me, but I keep trying to spend more on what I actually need and is useful than on things that I want or are extraneous.

            Our planet’s current activities are unsustainable. Bill Mckibben emphasized some of the problems with humanity’s current worldwide lifestyle. The two ideas that most interest me are in the areas of food and energy. Currently, my home runs entirely off of electricity. We use no renewable resources, and my family does not do much in way of conservation of it or rationing. When I move out on my own post-graduation, I would like to research the ways I could draw from renewable resources. I am intrigued by tidal and solar power as well as energy generated from wind turbines. Beyond that, I can use clothes lines, by specific light bulbs, install photovoltaic shingles, and do other small things to make a big impact when combined. Currently I can try to be less wasteful by unplugging things when I am not using them, turning the water off in the shower or doing dishes while I am soaping up, and remembering always to turn off the lights when I am not using them. Also, although I do not live in an area with public transportation, car-pooling is an alternative. Riding my bike probably will not get me very far at home, but it is an option while I am at school. Not only am I wasting money when I neglect to be conscious about my consumption of energy, but I am also pushing towards the crisis point when we run out of coal.

            The other idea that McKibben presented that resonated with my values is communal living, especially in regards to supporting the local economy. As an American, I have become used to being able to obtain any food at any season. At least in regards to produce,  I always preferred purchasing it from the local farmer’s market. Now I better understand the importance of buying local goods. My neighbors need to provide for their family’s and make a living. I live in an area where local businesses are prevalent; only in the past 5 years have chain stores been popping up. The small town environment fosters relationships and connections with most of the people who live there; my family owns two small businesses, and we know the family’s that own most of the others. Instead of putting our money into the chain stores, allowing them to create a monopoly, I try to make my purchases from locally owned, independent businesses. This goes for everything from the restaurant I eat at to the food I buy and where I get my oil changed. I have always valued this lifestyle, but my awareness for its importance has increased over the course of this semester. Mckibben points out that although it appears cheaper to purchase food from chain stores, the actual cost is surprising:

It may be expensive in terms of how much oil it requires, and how much

greenhouse gas it pours into the atmosphere, and how much tax subsidy it

receives, and how much damage it does to local communities, and how many

migrant workers it maims, and how much sewage it piles up, and how many miles

of highway it requires […]” (89)

I enjoyed reading about Mckibben’s year of eating locally, and am interested in what it would take to do that in my own area. The biggest change that I can currently make is in my consumption of food; I do well buying local produce, but I want to seek out other ways of eating locally.

            Jeffrey D. Sachs writes about global issues like population control, poverty, and global warming. I can take the steps mentioned above in doing my part in preventing these issues. I feel like the best way to make a global impact is through missions and education. I have participated in a number of short-term missions trips to the Galapagos Islands, Mexico, and San Francisco. I would like to continue going on these trips, and am interested in the possibility of longer missions experiences as well. Not only can I physically help the people in impoverished countries by building, cleaning, etc, I can make a spiritual impact on their lives through my testimony and example. I also feel like the biggest tool in controlling population and giving them the ability to choose other steps crucial to saving our planet is education. Research has proven that educated women or more likely to use birth control. This is just one example of the impact it has on people’s lives. Sachs says, “Sustainability has to be a choice, a choice of a global society that thinks ahead and acts in unaccustomed harmony” (81). I can continue making my own choices towards sustainability, living as an example, and educating others so that they too will hopefully make the choice of sustainable living. Every individual effort counts in the fight to preserve our planet.

            My favorite book that we read in this class is Born to Buy by Juliet B. Schor. This was interesting, provocative, and a little bit scary when I read about how advertising is affecting the American youth. Everything I read in this book, I can see from personal experience that it is completely true. Children want to grow up sooner, advertisements infiltrate every aspect of their life, and parents are losing control. I added the knowledge gleaned from this book to my store for if I ever become a parent. Schor reports, “only 59 percent of parents reported that their relationships with their school-aged children are ‘extremely or very close,’ and only 57 percent reported engaging in vey warm behaviors with their child several times a week” (36). This statistic was the most shocking to me. I have an extraordinarily close relationship with my mom, and both of my parents have shown me love by jokes, spending time with me, and giving me hugs. I cannot imagine not smothering all of the people I love in exuberant demonstrations of my affection. The relationships I have with my family are the core of my life. They have shaped me into the woman I am today, and they have influenced my own decision making. I hope to instill the values into my own children that my parents shared with me and teach them to make conscientious decisions concerning advertising and marketing. But before I can tell anyone else what to do, I need to make sure I am consistently doing it myself.

            All of these things culminate in my number one value: relationships. By cultivating, healthy, positive connections with other people, I can and will change the world. John Maxwell says, “Leadership is influence.” Everyone influences someone during his or her lifetime, therefore, we are all leaders. I want to use my influence in a positive way, educating and leading an exemplary life to promote sustainability, a local economy, and good choices. The relationships I develop enhance my effectiveness as a leader allowing me to reach more people in a positive way. Relationships are what have made the biggest impact on my own life, and they are essential in instilling the tools necessary to grow up environmentally conscious in our children. As Sachs said, sustainability has to be a unified effort. I believe you achieve unity through relationships, and if we bring up a generation educated in economics and valuing more than just material goods, the earth will be in good hands.

The Ideal Community

Imagine living among friends where there is always an activity happening on Saturday nights. Imagine knowing your children are playing safely outdoors while you are working in the garden. Imagine living an active, healthy lifestyle where exercise is integrated into your daily life without any extra effort or thought, and your food is fresh and nutritious. Imagine having all of these benefits, and helping save your planet in the process.

This sounds too good to be true, but in Chrissy's Community, it is easily attainable. Why waste your time driving cars, polluting the environment when you could be shedding calories biking around town? Imagine the money you will save on gas and the vitamin D you will soak up from the sunshine. Instead of eating over processed, unnatural foods filled with hidden fats and sugars, you can prepare a delicious, home-cooked meal with the ingredients from your own garden as well as the local farms and gardens at our Farmer's Market every Wednesday and Sunday. The fresh taste and impeccable quality is beyond comparison. And you cold earn an extra buck or two by selling your own excess produce. What mother doesn't dream of having the security that her children playing the old fashioned way outside with their friends are well looked after? Well, in this community, they are. Neighbors have the opportunity to develop strong relationships with each other in the multitude of town activities, and they look out for each others children. There is no more wondering what to do on a Saturday night or Sunday afternoon with the family. One look at the town calendar will provide a host of activities from canning to canoeing depending on the season. Not only do you save money, but the bonding time is priceless. Another way you will save money living in Chrissy's Community is on energy and water. With rain barrels, photovoltaic shingles, and clotheslines at every home, not only will your electricity bill decrease, but you will also be decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere. Chrissy's Community is a completely self-sustaining town - why not take a shot at true independence and happiness?

I think I would struggle convincing lazy, selfish people to live in my community - but honestly, they wouldn't want to live there and I wouldn't want them there, anyways. It is designed for people who want to live healthily, help their neighbors, and be active. Also, I am aware of some technical flaws for handicapped people, but as I mentioned in my paper, I would establish either a trolley, golf carts, or some other public transportation to accommodate them. I plan on the community being in a warm-weather environment, so rain would be a concern, but not snow or other things that come with freezing temperatures.

Another visionary who might have struggled in this way is Andy Stanley. Andy is the founder of the North Point Community Church in Georgia. His idea was to create a church attractive to unchurched people. He believes there are enough churches to facilitate the number of people not going to church in America, so the space is not the problem. Instead, he wanted to create a distinctively different environment that would be attractive to them. They don't have "Sunday Schools" because they want to encourage small groups and evangelism, they structure their programs around a foyer, living room, and kitchen model, and they focus on leadership rather than obtaining numbers. Eventually, the church became a booming success. It is a great idea, but it is not traditional, and it is not for everyone. Some people will not grow closer to God in this church environment; they won't identify with this style of worship or feel spiritually nourished. However, it has been life changing for other people. I feel like this is the same with my community - it won't be ideal for some people, but it will change the lives of others in a very good way. I tagged the history of North Point Community Church on Delicious.

http://www.delicious.com/Chrissy.Lairson

Show-Off

 "Purposeful effort comes to mean, primarily, effort directed to or resulting in a more creditable showing of accumulated wealth." - Thorstein Veblen

Reading this quote leaves me feeling empty inside. The premise of the statement is that all efforts in life are directed towards showing off ones accomplishments. The ideal likens to the "keep up with the Joneses" mindset; life is a continual competition where we constantly try to one-up our peers. I'd like to believe that although maybe society's primary concern is living the "leisure life", that individuals are motivated by more than just a selfish, base desire to show-off their wealth and accomplishments.

Assuming that all purposeful effort is directed towards ostentation produces a plethora of unpleasant consequences. Every good deed done is undermined by the knowledge that the root of the action was not in helping the individual or the positive results, but rather in selfishness in order to advance oneself. In this scenario, ethics evaporate. Life becomes all about what makes me happy and will push me into more wealth and success. Anything is a reasonable means of accomplishing this end with that assumption. Or, if some beneficiary effort was made that in no way benefitted the person doing it, the act would have to be classified as "un-purposeful." How then can we explain the gift of salvation? An unintentional effort made to save humanity from eternal damnation? Or was it to somehow how Christ's wealth, therefore debasing His entire character as a loving, gracious God? 

I believe that effort can and should be purposefully put into actions and services that do not end in accumulating wealth for the person or showing off their accomplishments. Yes, it is nice to have some affirmation about what you are doing, and it is pleasant to own nice things (especially when you work hard to get them), but think about the rewards of going on a mission trip or doing a random, anonymous act of kindness for someone. Success can be measured by more than just wealth, and happiness is certainly not dependent upon it. So my suggestion is not forget about trying to get the newer version of your friend's iPod or having a garage that fits one more car than your neighbors, such efforts are futile. Like we studied in Ecclesiastes, it is all smoke and will not come with you into eternity, and such pursuits will never give you fulfillment or happiness. Instead, drop everything and follow Jesus like a disciple, do not make the mistake of the rich, young ruler in Mark 10. God promises rewards in eternity that will far outshine anything you could ever accumulate here on earth, anyways. So stop being a show-off, and allow sincere love motivate your efforts. It feels nice when I stop thinking about myself once in a while. 

More People....

Let's face it: studies show that mankind exercises regularly his freedom to procreate. This is evidenced by the continual population increase of the world. In just 40 years, from 1959 to 1999, the population doubled - going from 3 to 6 billion people! And according to Sachs, the United Nations Population Division has predicted that the world population will reach 9.2 billion by 2050. With the plant already this crowded, will the population increase create problems? Science says yes.

More people means more consumers. More consumers produces more carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. This results in air and water pollution as well as contributing to global warming. Environmental issues will exponentially increase with the influx of the population. The negative impact on the environment affects endangered animals. In an already crowded planet, we have limited resources. It cannot sustain so many people. Sachs suggests 8 billion people should be the target range in order to live successfully with our natural resources.

Although population control is widely accepted as one of the best solutions to most of our environmental crises, it is not often discussed. Establishing forced birth control methods or disincentives is a controversial subject. We certainly do not want to follow China's example of limiting families to one child, encourage abortions, or take away the freedom of our people. However, if the population continues to rise at this rate, all mankind will be in serious trouble. I think that educating people in developing countries where the fertility rate is highest would be extraordinarily beneficial. Also, providing birth control resources to everyone can help. There are less children per family in the average American household than in the families of the poorest countries of the world - perhaps this is because of our education and the availability of contraceptives.

More people, however, would mean higher incomes due to increased economic activity. However, this will not be beneficial if we are killing our planet in the process. Too many negative side effects will occur with the substantial increase of population.

You can check out articles about this topic on my delicious site - http://www.delicious.com/Chrissy.Lairson

The Ghetto Preacher and Great Expectations

   Willy Ramos, "The Ghetto Preacher," came to my academy for a week of spiritual emphasis. His last evening with the student body, he shared his remarkable testimony. This rapper/pastor was raised in South Florida in a tough family situation. Predictably, he fell in with the wrong crowd. Drinking, drugs, and theft consumed the life of this gang member. He even recalls beating a person with a baseball bat in anger. It wasn't until he hit rock bottom and had a gun to his head that God sent someone to come save him and answer his pathetic pleas. He calls himself a prodigal son, and his mission is to help the prodigal sons and daughters of this world find their way back to their forgiving and loving Father. Once he converted to the Adventist faith, he had to leave the gang. He was stabbed in the stomach 21 times with a ball point pen. Thankfully, God spared his life so Willy could impact the lives of young people with his testimony. He tried all of the things of the world - drugs, drinking, money, sex, and general self-pleasure. Instead of being happy, he realized like in Ecclesiastes, "...for all is vanity and a striving after the wind" (Ecc.2:17). I'm sure he did not understand at the time why he had to go through all of these experiences, but now, because of what he lived through and who he became, he is able to reach the lives of so many teenagers (Ecc. 3:17 says that man cannot know God's ways.... how true I have found that to be even in my own life.)
   Pip from Charles Dickens's Great Expectations learns a similar lesson, however he does not find God in the end. As a young boy, Pip does not have the best life - being raised by his abusive sister in a small town. However, he has a meaningful relationship with Joe, his brother-in-law and the local blacksmith. This is enough to make Pip happy until he meets Estella. She convinces him that he is not good enough. Like Ecclesiastes 1:17 - 18, the more Pip gains wisdom, the more upset and discontent he becomes. He is hard on himself when he makes mistakes, just like the writer of Ecclesiastes is hard on himself. Pip attempts to improve himself, but he is not successful, because he is trying to achieve it in all the wrong venues. He decides he would only be happy if he becomes a gentleman, then he would surely win over Estella and live the life she glorifies, but it is all vanity (Eccl. 12:8). The more he gets, the more callous he becomes to those who truly had cared for him like Joe and his friend Biddy, and it never brings him closer to his obsession - Estella. Eventually, Abel, Pip's benefactor, reveals himself. Pip realizes the lack of foundation of his gentleman livelihood after meeting the former criminal. He realizes he has lost everything that matters, and it is only when he hits that rock bottom like Willy Ramos that he turns his life around and pursues the things that really matter. The writer advises you to enjoy life with the one you love in Ecclesiastes 9:7 - 10. Pip puts his efforts into meaningful relationships with Joe and Biddy, as well as Herbert.  He gives up on finding happiness through acquiring material possessions, status, and sinful experiences.
   When I read Ecclesiastes, I felt how the author pointed out the futility of pursuing things of this world, because ultimately they are meaningless, bound by the constrains of time and mortality. Eventually, I will become dissatisfied and question the very point of my being here just like Willy and Pip. Instead, I need to concentrate on what is important - my relationship with my Savior. Only then will I find the fulfillment I crave. Pascal mentioned a "God-shaped vacuum" in our hearts, I am not going to try to fill it with "wind."