Faithfully yours - It all begins with us

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Published on Sunday, May 28, 2017

Neil Strohschein

The Neepawa Banner

For the past three weeks, I have offered different perspectives on what I see as the looming financial crisis facing Canada, the United States and other developed countries. This week, I will offer my response to the one question: “Who is responsible for fixing this problem?”

Ancient wisdom, found in the Holy Scriptures, teaches us that those who caused the problem are to repair the damage they caused. If we apply that principle to our day and to the fiscal problems our country is facing, we could conclude that those who incurred our national debt (namely those in government) should lay out a plan to repay it. 

But, before we lay this burden on MPs and MLAs, let’s ask another question: “Who elected them; and who demanded the services that resulted in the deficits which had to be covered by borrowing?” At that point, the blame falls on me, on you and on every other Canadian. So, it is up to us to take the first steps in fixing the fiscal problems that face our country.

Where do we begin? In his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul gives us the first step. He urges us all to “labor and work honestly with our own hands, so that we may have something to share with the needy.” (see Ephesians 4:28) In other words, those who can work should work. If they are between paying jobs, as many Canadians are right now, they can (and I would argue should) volunteer two or three hours a day helping agencies who are giving practical help to the homeless and others who are dealing with impairments in life.

Second, we must embrace an attitude of contentment--learn to be happy with what we have; to be thankful that we have the food, clothing and shelter that we need for today. As we grow in contentment, we will make less demands on government.

As Canadians, we give our governments the right to collect taxes on our income, consumption and property. In return, we expect them to spend this money on core services—education, health care, defense, law enforcement and infrastructure. We applaud the financial aid governments give to those who cannot work and have no other means of financial support. But government should not be expected to support those who, though able to work, choose not to do so.

Finally, we can take personal responsibility for the welfare of others and do what we can to help a neighbor or a friend in need. In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul urges us to “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) But in the next verse, he says that “each person should carry his own load.”

It is never wrong to offer financial help or practical assistance to a neighbor in need. But once the need has been met and the neighbor is able to carry on without our help, our responsibility ends. We are then free to carry on with our lives and wait for the next opportunity to help a neighbor in need.

Now I know that there who will ask: “How much can one person do to fix the fiscal problems in our country?” Alone, acting in isolation, you and I won’t achieve all that much. But the efforts of a few (the example we set) can start a trend that will sweep across this country, reduce the demands we place on government and begin the process of reducing and ultimately eliminating government debt. That is my hope and prayer.