One Striking at the Root: Preaching Like it Matters

"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root."  With these words, those of Henry David Thoreau at Walden, Larry Lessig jumps into critical issues of money in American politics.  He tackles childhood obesity and asks why.  Why do we know so much and do so little about our kids, their health, their futures?  He tackles energy policy and pollution and asks why.  Why do we know so much and do so little about global warming, impacted resources, earth in the balance?

Jonah preaching in Ninevah

I've posted Lessig's reflection before: "Striking at the Root."  But I read reports from Washington today--the meager scope of political vision, the misery commitments of right and left alike--and I'm drawn to it again.  Lessig seems to me, today, more relevant and more urgent than ever.  We've allowed the elite, the moneyed, the self-interested 1 % to do our politics for us.  And we will change--or we will all go down together.

Larry Lessig has a lot to say.  He begins at the 5:00 minute mark of this video.  There's a lot of public policy here, and all kinds of political implications.  But I can't help hearing a ton of theology in this too.  Whom do we trust?  Whom will we trust?  What does love require?  The One Who Is and Will Be has a whole to say on the matter of economic commitment in public life and the choices we make around wealth and resource distribution.  No?

He doesn't look the part, but I kind of think of Larry Lessig (here at least) as a Jonah figure, a Jeremiah figure, something like John the Baptist. "The rough places shall be made plain, the crooked paths straight--and all people shall see the glory of God TOGETHER!"  The system's dreadfully broken.  And it's time, it's long past time, to fix it.