June Quick Note 2

Here’s some quick thoughts about billionaires and money from Under the Jubilee Tree, where oxygen is given and CO2 absorbed.

Billionaires, Trillionaires Captivity to Wealth

Some people with great wealth seek to change direction and share what’s come to them. Others feel the lure of more, and great harm to all of society happens through their decisions. Lack of any consciousness for justice, combined with great wealth, destroys so many people.

Just how much is a billion? or trillion? Putting these numbers into seconds of time:

100K seconds ago was 28 hours ago
1M seconds ago was 12 days ago
1B seconds ago was 31 years, 8 months ago
1T seconds ago was 29,000 BCE

No just economy or political system would generate such disparity. It takes systemic injustice to get those results. To be in an economy of love for others and planet goes beyond personal decisions to the economic system. Jesus knew the power of money and joined with those who see it as a deity.

The benefits to a country or economy of billionaires and trillionaires have not been proven. Not at all. I give gratitude to those few who know they must use their wealth for the greater good. But the consciousness of the most extreme wealth acts to our harm.

Their lifestyles add disproportionately large amounts to the climate crises.
They undermine democracy, which operates best with broad participation.
Their way is to control political processes, not share with poorer folk.
They fight legislation that meets the health and education rights of people with less.
Most of them resist immigration.
They don’t pay taxes at the same rate as the rest of us and may not pay any income tax at all.

In other words, with a wonderful few exceptions, wealthy people do not share fairly or justly in making our lives work, nor do they act with greater consciousness for life on Earth. Money has many captives.

Wherever you are on the spectrum of wealth Jubilee assures your donations go for justice and caring. We are grateful for every donation received.