A lot can happen in a week. And this past week in particular has seen unthinkable things happening in the world of economics and finance. Three Icelandic banks have been rescued1 (I didn’t know that Iceland had three banks – it’s hardly any bigger than the city where I live). What will have happened to the world’s economy in a week’s time?
Meanwhile the US presidential campaign has moved on from focusing on the economy to personal abuse and back to the economy. Who knows what will happen by the time of the election on November 4? It’s amazing to me that anyone would want to be leader just now. Fortunately, the President of Ukraine seems to know why. Announcing a snap election he said that it’s ambition that drives politicians2. Only politicians?
One of the key questions all of this raises is whether we will learn from it? Of course politicians will try to improve regulation. But will we still keep chasing after the same things, imagining that we can all have it all? That really is a fool’s paradise.
Yet again this week’s readings bring a different vision. The acclaimed leader will be killed within a week. The needy are blessed rather than the privileged. And when justice eventually comes, not everyone will think it is good news. That was a long week too.
Emlyn Williams
October 2008
1 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7660511.stm
2 http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/10/world/europe/10ukraine.html?ref=europe
No comments:
Post a Comment