Honesty is a clear conscience "before myself and before my fellow human beings." Honesty is the awareness of what is right and appropriate in one’s role, one’s behavior, and one's relationships. With honesty, there is no hypocrisy or artificiality which create confusion and mistrust in the minds and lives of others. Honesty makes for a life of integrity because the inner and outer selves are a mirror image.
That’s a quote from an encyclopedia. The laws of Moses detailed behavior about weights, about payments, etc. We say, “He has an honest face”, or “Give me an honest day’s work”, or “give me an honest answer”, or “I expect you to use honest measures”.
And maybe that is what is missing in all the debate and the many works and ideas floating around about our country’s problems. I was struck by the reaction to the speech of the new Secretary of the Treasury. The DOW fell 4.5%, and the general reaction seemed to be "what did he say?”.
Loren Steffy, a columnist in the Houston Chronicle, quoting Mr. Geithner, saying “We are exploring a range of different structures for this program, and will seek input from market participants and the public as we design it”, summed it up with this: “In other words, as we careen toward catastrophe, our plan is on work on a plan.”
How frustrating, and how hopeless does that make it sound.
So, where do we stand in all this, or how do we regard the problem the financial world faces?
Where the child of God always stands, and what he always does, listen to the Bible. St. Paul urges “1 The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. 2 Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. 3 This is the way our Savior God wants us to live. 4 He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: 5 that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us — Jesus,” 1 Tim. 2,1-5. That ought always to be first in any agenda, for this God speaks a Word that is eternally truth.
May this God hear, send wisdom and care to the planning ones, and grant us patience to await His answer.
GPD 2/11/09
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