America’s Addiction
A Washington, D.C., woman recently paid four dollars for what she thought was an intriguing but worthless vase. Anna Lee Dozier had worked with native populations in Mexico and was attracted to the piece of pottery because it had similarities to the Mayan culture, but was certain it was only a well-done reproduction.
Sometime later, while on a trip to the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City, she saw in the museum display cases a piece of pottery that looked remarkably like the one she had purchased in the thrift store. She didn’t think too much about it, but the resemblance did pique her curiosity. On a wild hunch, when she returned home, she took a photo of her piece and sent it to Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology, thinking that nothing would ever come of it.
Anne Lee Dozier bought the vase on the right for $4 – and it turned out it was an ancient Maya relic. Photograph: Courtesy of Mexico's ambassador to the US Esteban Moctezuma Barragán
It wasn’t long before the institute responded to Anna Lee and authenticated her piece of pottery as a priceless antique, dating to between 200 A.D. and 800 A.D., during the height of the Mayan civilization. Needless to say, the bargain hunter was shocked!
Anna Lee works for the Christian Solidarity Worldwide, a human rights organization that advocates for Indigenous peoples and felt the piece of pottery rightfully belonged to the Mexican people. Several of her friends encouraged her to sell the vase to the Mexican government, but she declined. Even though the artifact would have fetched a significant amount of money, Anna Lee believed the valuable piece needed to be returned to its native land without compensation.
When asked why she didn’t profit from her good fortune, Anna Lee replied, “Giving it back feels so much better than if I had put it on eBay and got a bunch of money.”
Anne Lee Dozier, middle, stands next to Mexico’s ambassador to the US, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, right, at a ceremony during which Dozier returned an ancient Maya vase to Mexico. Photograph: Courtesy of Mexico’s ambassador to the US Esteban Moctezuma Barragán
Needless to say, her response caught my attention. In today’s culture of greed Anna Lee’s selfless act is a breath of fresh air. Our nation appears obsessed with money. Everything revolves around financial gain. Accumulating as much wealth as possible is glorified as a virtue. From airline manufacturers—even at the expense of safety—to oil companies—who rake in billions at the expense of our climate—to the pharmaceutical industry—where Americans pay more than other countries for the same drug—greed fuels America’s economic engine. Our economic system appears bereft of morals or restraints of any kind that might temper our lust for more wealth or more power. Greed has grown into a national addiction from which Americans are unable and unwilling to withdraw. Like all addictions, however, the end result is tragedy, both for the nation and for individuals.
Addictions, whether they be drugs, sex, amusements, alcohol or money destroy relationships and erode the quality of life. Whenever a human being (or institution or company) has an excessive thirst for insatiable profit, and selfishly benefits from that overabundance, stewardship (a virtue) is transformed into greed (a vice). Thousands of years ago the wise Solomon understood the dangers of wealth when he wrote, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied…” (Eccl. 5:10). An addiction must be continuously fed while everything else recedes into the background—life with God, family, friends, contentment, and the continued growth of one’s personhood.
Back in the 1950s, those who reaped vast financial benefits from the capitalistic system sometimes paid as much as 90% of their revenue, over a certain level of profit, to taxes. The tax money was used to build America’s infrastructure, things like airports, railroads, hospitals, and the interstate highways. Today’s unbelievably low tax-rate on the wealthy provides little incentive for the rich to invest in America’s future, resulting in the exponentially growing wealth gap between the rich and the rest of us.
Now there is nothing inherently evil about making money. In fact, the Bible honors the affluent who work hard and use their wealth to ease the burdens of the poor, the sick, and the people on the margins. It has been noted by many biblical scholars that there are more passages of Scripture devoted to the benevolent treatment of the poverty-stricken than any other subject. Scattered throughout all of Scripture are verses like, “Do not neglect to do good and share what you have…” (Hebrews 13:16); “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord…” (Prov. 19:17); “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy” (Luke 12:33); “Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (Prov. 14:31). The Bible understands wealth as a blessing and is to be used not merely for one’s personal pleasure but for the benefit of society as a whole.
The tenth commandment condemns greed as contrary to God’s will (Exod. 20:17), and the church has listed greed as one of the Seven Deadly Sins. An undisciplined consumeristic mentality reduces life to the mere accumulation of more and more, regardless of the consequences and regardless of who else gets hurt. The command not to covet recognizes the perils of craving for more and calls on people of faith to break with an acquisitive lifestyle.
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I read this week where politicians plan to place the Ten Commandments in public schools in Louisiana. I’m not sure how much difference that will make, except perhaps garner a few more votes for politicians who want to use religion as bait. Maybe a better place would be to place them in capital buildings across the country—I wonder how many lawmakers have profited from their inside knowledge of economic trends? Better still, maybe we could place the Ten Commandments inside the corporate boardrooms of drug companies, insurance firms, oil industries, and all other business enterprises whose profits far exceed what is fair and just.
The addiction to greed that has consumed our nation is unsustainable. It destroys our environment, our communities, individual lives, and our future. Jesus recognized the danger of unbridled lust for more when he said, “What does it profit a person if he gains the world but throws away his soul?” (Mk. 8:36)
In the words of Anna Lee Dozier, “Giving it back feels so much better…”
