August 1, 2008
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Liberal vs. Conservative
“Anyone under 30 who isn’t a liberal has no heart.
Anyone over 30 who isn’t a conservative has no brains.”– paraphrased from François Guizot,
often attributed to Winston ChurchillTo a liberal, the greatest sin is being selfish. By not sharing with the less-fortunate, you are going against the fundamental moral principle of fairness and the The Golden Rule.
To a conservative, the greatest sin is being stupid. Without being smart and realistic about money, you can find yourself without the basic necessities of life.
Maybe that’s a false dichotomy. Most of us feel a bit of both: we want to be both wise with our money, yet generous also. Time to bust out the 2×2 matrix! On one axis: smarts. On the other: generosity. If you have neither, you are just selfish and stupid — typical Disney villain sidekick. If you have smarts but no generosity, then you are a Scrooge, or a “conservative” as painted by the liberals. If you have generosity, but no smarts, you and your money are soon parted (“to a good cause!” you may exclaim). And finally, if you have both, you’re golden.
I have a few thoughts on why it’s so hard to be both. Basically, money is like The Dark Side. The more you get, the more likely you will be consumed by it, leaving no room for generosity in your soul. To accumulate money generally means working hard for it (the whole “money doesn’t grow on trees” thing), and your identity becomes more wrapped up in the making and having of money. The Gospels say, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” I used to think that meant: “give your money to a cause, and you will care more about it.” Now instead I believe it means “where you spend effort, is where you define worth.” If I practice piano hours every day, I think of myself as a pianist. If I play WoW for hours each day, I think of myself as a gamer. And in both cases I value the skill or achievements I have built for myself. It’s hard not to feel contempt or condescension for those who have not put in the same hours and effort. Back to the idea of money, the better I am at making it, the more I believe that *I* deserve it, and the less I believe that others deserve it. In some cases, there is truth to that. If you and your brother both have the same background, and you work hard to make a lot of money, and he goes all prodigal in Sin City, it’s hard to take him seriously when wants a loan to buy a new Hummer. On the other hand, the villager in Haiti isn’t in that situation — with no education, capital, or infrastructure, he can’t get ahead no matter how hard he works.
My other thought on money is a development of an analogy that Gary and I used in our Economic Discipleship class: money is like a radioactive element — if you accumulate critical mass, it will kill you. Now I think money is more organic, like the plant Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors: the more you have, the more time it takes to maintain and grow it. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle that again, takes mindshare and blocks out your sense of generosity.
That’s all I have for now. Does anyone else have any ideas on how to deal with your dual inner natures — to keep your shrewd snake from corrupting your innocent dove?
Comments (13)
I think there are lots of great organizations that fall under “smart” and “generous”. The Acumen Fund or the work that Geneva Global does comes to mind.
The problem is, that for the average person, it’s much easier to ease your “guilty conscience” by giving money to any missionary friend or charity that asks (“generous” but possibly “stupid”). It takes a lot of work to invest wisely. And most people this day and age, do not make that kind of effort because their effort is already being spent on work, family, kids, etc.
I wonder if that means:
1) People should become more focused in their giving (we’ve talked about this before). Identify one or two causes that you care about, learn about it, and give 90% to.
AND/OR
2) That there will be a greater need for philanthropic advisory services (what Geneva Global does).
Thanks for the post, Ed. It was really helpful for myself in sorting out some of my current issues. Oh, and yes, I agree, where you spend your effort, that is how you will define yourself.
I think the reason it’s hard for people to give wisely is that we have a limit to how far down the chain we really want to see. Ahduan is very right, that most folks just give to ease a conscience. I think the next step people have to take is to really grasp the concept of stewardship of God’s gifting. I think in the same way you see folks who have a hard time expending their money on useful things, I believe there are just as many ridiculously talented people who give very little effort to serve God. They derive from a similar root, and I think you are right, when effort is rewarded by money, then it’s hard to see that as something that God gave you, rather than something you worked for.
But yeah, perhaps this is the overly spiritual spin on things… in the end, perhaps the hardest part about being intelligently generous is really sifting through the propaganda that is often handed us by organizations… if you can’t get reliable information, how can you give intelligently?
what you’re saying about money is what most people say about power. if you substitute power for money in your post, you have a compelling and similar dichotomy that’s mostly true. it’s difficult for anyone with power to willingly give some of that which was earned up. how many dictators came into power promising generosity? it’s in the very nature of power to tempt those that wield it.
my take is that God’s given us a certain capacity to wield power. beyond that, we will fail. the capacity, of course, can increase, but at any given point, we have to be aware of how much we can handle. the story of the 3 servants and the money given to them come to mind.
After a early bout of fairly unprincipled giving, which led to quick disillusionment, I decided to *defer* substantive giving until I had the time to research matters properly. This coincided with a return to school—which also ended any prospects of earning wealth.
So for five years I didn’t earn, and therefore didn’t give (much). But as it turned out, I ended up coming into a great deal more wealth through what can only be considered *sheer luck*. It was totally unearned. And you know what, I am now struggling *more* with the wealth Karen and I have *now* (which came through no effort) than the wealth I had *then* (which came through effort. And a lot of luck.)
So I don’t think the issue must have anything to do with effort.
I now think generosity is a character trait that must be continually cultivated. I stopped cultivating it for five years (since I thought I didn’t have anything to give), and my character suffered for it.
I used to think that giving, say, $100,000 today is morally equivalent to saving the money and giving it away (inflation-adjusted) in thirty years. This is because I used to measure the value of giving in terms of the benefit the donation will generate. I now realize that that view is psychologically naive. You pay a price when you take yourself out of the giving game.
The upshot is: yes, you might give stupidly because you lack time or insight to do research, but that should be no reason to stop giving, because stopping carries with it its own cost. The value of giving does NOT reside entirely within the benefit for the recipient. Sacrificial giving also benefits the giver, and that alone can be enough to justify the giving. So maybe stupidity isn’t so bad after all.
This post reminds me of a podcast I heard not too long ago that said that conservatives were happier than liberals. This was because the social injustices they saw troubled them more whatever the conservatives felt was wrong in government.
I personally am not balanced, but I hope to be some day. I guess that tells you which camp I fall into.
Interesting post, Ed, and intriguing spin, i.e. giving charitably makes you care more about the outcome. I’ve not considered that previously; I had simply thought that counting and hoarding wealth like Prince John or Scrooge McDuck starts a vicious cycle that leads to a greater love of ones money (“where your heart is”, which of course is a bad thing (“root of all evil”). In short, giving is a way of reducing ones dependency on self and money and also reminding us tangibly how much we ultimately are given by God. It is akin to a spiritual discipline that makes us practice the philosophy of holding material things loosely so that we are less likely to define our intrinsic value by our earning power or net worth
You know when I read your post the first two things that popped into my mind:
1) Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 28:24-25)
2) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)
I definitely struggle with this. I agree with your statement about money being like the dark side. You wrote, “The more you get, the more likely you will be consumed by it, leaving no room for generosity in your soul.” That is probably one of the reasons why it is hard for the rich to enter the kindgom of God. Funny how the more you make the more you spend (because it seems like there is more expenses!)… and there’s always that sense of needing more… yet I remember my summers in China when I was so convicted at how easy it was to live on less.
So when I struggle with giving.. I think about my short term trips. We were all given an amount of money in the beginning of the trip to use wisely… to spend on our own living expenses, foods, drinks, etc and to take our students out or buy gifts for them at the end. It was so much easier to be generous and spend on other people on the team or on our students with that money because I was thinking of it as “pot money” and not really my money. So sometimes I have to do this reasoning in my mind that the money I have, even though I earned it… is ultimately God’s “pot money” that He gave me to use wisely. With all that said… I still struggle.. but it helps me put things in perspective at times…
And as for the second verse… I heard a sermon once about how if you want to have your heart in kingdom things.. you need to put your money there. Naturally, it makes sense that you will care about where you have your money invested… (whether it’s your house, car, boat etc) So that speaker was challenging us to give to missions so that we can develop a heart for those who do not yet have the hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ…
it’s serendipitous that you posted this just now — i’m helping give a talk at Charis on friday about christian giving (as part of a 3 sessions on the topic of money: spending, saving, giving). so these comments are quite helpful.
i agree with the comments about cultivating generosity as a worthy goal in itself, even while i struggle with the effort it takes to figure out where to give the money so that it will have impact. i hate inefficiency and waste, and we can’t know everything. and at the same time God is omnipotent and he really doesn’t need our money… it’s hard to see how it all goes together. i think it does help to think of your money as not yours, but God’s.
about liberal vs conservative: i try to be liberal in how i care, but conservative in how i try to help. whether people are messed up by their circumstances (liberal view) or just corrupt and lazy (conservative view), they’re still deserving of help because they’re people God loves. but the way that i try to help can be harmful if it doesn’t take into account the weaknesses of human beings (liberal pitfall), so i want my help to support people by giving them a chance to help themselves (as conservatives believe people can do).
Thanks for all of the thoughtful and insightful comments. I’m blessed to have discerning and vocal friends.
It’s interesting that swanger’s experience is opposite of my theory. Maybe the difficulty in giving doesn’t result directly from effort but more from the increasing mindshare of “earning and having”. We have to cultivate and maintain the mindshare of giving over our entire lives. This is where another organic analogy works well: training a moderate amount every day is healthier than trying to exercise 8 hours a day when you’re 80.
So maybe stupid giving is better than no giving, especially when you’re young and stupid.
But I’m not young anymore (except maybe by Old Testament standards), and I’m trying hard to be less stupid. June and I have been working on narrowing our giving focus, so that we can both give smart as well as contribute more than just cash. In the financial realm, diversification is the best way to invest, but in the spiritual realm I’m not sure that holds true.
My next xanga post will be some thoughts on 401(k) asset allocation.
To phrase NPR about what the Liberal/Conservative view of things are…
Liberal – guided by a principal of Equality.
Meaning that everyone should have equal opportunities to succeed.
Conservative – Guided by a drive for Freedom
Meaning that there should be no barriers for success.
no deep thoughts to add, just wanted to say good post topic
…
i hear you guys have settled in the south bay! how are things? i just moved to the east bay this past summer and am still adjusting… met eunhee, who says she meets up with june occasionally. hope to see you guys sometime?
Here’s an interesting article about how the wealthy perceive wealth: Meet the Rich
this is an old post, but new to me…
the trick is this:
stop thinking of money (and everything else) as mine; money (and everything else) belongs to God, not to me. i am a steward.
i am not supposed to give money away. i am not supposed to keep money for myself. i am supposed to steward money.
i never actually give money away, because no money is actually mine.
i never actually keep money, because no money is actually mine.
when it comes to money, i can only be a skilled steward or a lousy steward.
presumably, some people will be better stewards than me; i can let them take over the stewardship of some of what i steward.
sometimes, people will be a far worse steward than me; i will tend to retain stewardship. sometimes, however, i am to let them take over stewardship; thei failures (and successes) are part of Gods’ growth process in their lives. it can be difficult to discern when to do what.