A long time ago I picked up a VHS tape series called Affluenza. The primary producer of the series was Tony Campolo. Whenever I would use it in the congregation to help us look at the wealth we have as Americans, I could always count on the discussion to be lively. Campolo was helping the wider church deal with how we - the follower of Jesus in the USA - are afflicted with this disease and how we must be willing to look at and treat the psychological and social (I would add spiritual) effects of affluence. Like other diseases or infections or viruses, they happen - they come upon us - and then - bam - they can kill us.
Affluenza hit the news in 2013 when a wealthy teenage young man was involved in a deadly accident. He pleaded that he was suffering from affluenza - he could not be held responsible because he was a pampered soul (my language) who was not able to be in control of his life because he had everything handed to him as the child of parents who were well situated financially. Really?! During that time I wondered how many poor folks whose environment impacts their choices and actions would be given a break or a lesser penalty. I will say it - had a young, black, man in a high-poverty neighborhood been in the same situation as this Texas teen - his butt would be in a jail cell for a long time - there would be no environmental excuse to save him.
I know I suffer from affluenza. I read the Scriptures - especially parts like the Sermon on the Mount - and I am far from being well or free from such a disease. The sad part is that I can and do make all kinds of excuses as to why I don't think I suffer from affluenza. As I wrote that it sounds a bit like an addict - doesn't it? This one aspect of a definition of affluenza rings in my ears: The unhealthy and unwelcome psychological social effects of affluence regarded especially as a wide spread social problem such as: feeling of guilt, lack of motivation and social isolation experienced by wealthy people - can be a chronic and pervasive condition in families where riches extend through generations.
But like racism - of which I also suffer at times - most folks deny that we suffer from either racism or affluenza because it is so much of our lives or so subtle and accepted of a disease that we cannot see it and we do not feel it. That is why both diseases go undetected - undiagnosed - untreated - and they not only infect us - they infect the lives of those around us. But for now, I want to stick with affluenza.
The more I hear Donald Trump the more I think he is within the consumptive grip of affluenza. Some people call him narcissistic or self-consumed. I even hear words like psychopath or sociopath. But as I listen to his life story, it is more the story of someone who has everything he would ever want and - even more. And yet, we have many examples of people with wealth accumulated through generations and they are not so gripped by affluenza. Affluenza is for me - a disease of the spirit of our humanity. It pulls us apart. It makes it easy for us to separate one from another. Rather than creating a clean heart that draws us to others with a sense of loving kindness, affluenza creates an attacking heart that cannot see the worth of others - unless others will help feed the need for self-indulgence and self-aggrandizement. This is not a pleasant disease - this disease kills - this disease makes us into everything Scripture tells us to avoid and resist.
None of us who suffer from it can relax and act as though we are untouched. We all need to face the lies that help affluenza spread to those who, quite honestly, do not have - but are still pulled by the sweet-but-poisonous venom of affluence. I could not leave this rant without also drawing into question Hillary Clinton as one also moving within the consumptive grip of affluence. She may not be a billionaire who is unable to feel empathy or be self-critical or to show humility, but she has been seduced by the wealth of others in order to gain the power that comes with affluence. What do we gain when we sell our soul to have the world as we want it - or think we deserve it?
Affluenza is not a Democratic or Republican disease. We need only look around. We are quite an ill society and seem to want to fight our way to wellness. Well - hostility and hatred is never the path to healing and wholeness. In fact, I would suggest that our affluenza is doing us in.
When we are willing and able to see the symptoms of affluenza in the lives of those around us and others can see them in us, there is hope that we can build a healing/recovering society. In love, we must help one another face this disease and find ways to treat it. I know that there are people around us who - though in an affluenza riddled society - are able to be immune to its contagious nature. I bet we all have people who have been gifted or empowered to face this disease and live as ones who are willing to give ourselves away for the sake of others. I think recovery will take humility - the pursuit of justice - the release of our violent actions and words - the unbounded welcome of all others - mercy and loving kindness. These are not actions of a one time conversion - they must be a part of the ritual of our lives for each and every day. I wonder if a walk or run or bike ride against affluenza will ever be staged in order to begin the healing?
TRRR
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