Reflection: Week Eleven

In our fishbowl discussion on Thursday, I mused about the connection between wealth and the do-gooder lifestyle. This is a concept I have struggled with personally for a long time now. On the one hand, I have always held a certain amount of hostility towards wealth because of corruption and materialism. After all, it was Jesus that said, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” But on the other hand, it is precisely my family’s wealth that has allowed me to get a great private education and send me to American University to prepare me for public service. It is precisely my family’s wealth that will allow me to graduate debt-free and work for a poorly paying non-profit or public defense office. It is precisely my family’s wealth that allows me to buy pricey organic vegetarian food and eco-friendly merchandise. In other words, it is my wealth that allows me to pursue the do-gooder lifestyle and live my ideals.

This paradox has made me consider that it could be possible to foster this do-gooder lifestyle within the upper and middle classes in America. You can see this already with the hipster culture that is alive and well on AU campus. Hipsters, myself included, are often rather wealthy kids that shop at Whole Foods, relish in being cultured, wear eco-friendly clothing, etc. Is it possible that our generation will be able to better integrate wealth and this do-gooder lifestyle? I certainly hope that making causes like environmentalism and vegetarianism “cool” will go a long way in producing a more morally conscious upper middle class.

As with many concepts, this trend can be applied to the macro context of American politics. As our nation continues to be among the wealthiest countries in the world, we need to make sure we are using our wealth to tackle the social justice issues that are pervasive in society abroad and at home. “To whom much is given, much is expected.” I try to live my life according to this notion and I can only hope my country does too.