The (Lost) Lessons of Scrooge

As I was reading more of the summer edition of Lapham's entitled Happiness, the thought of Scrooge from A Christmas Carol entered my mind, followed later by the concept of Christmas in July.  I imagine the various articles in Happiness which express the perceptions of chasing and achieving happiness throughout history, inspired me to think disdainfully at the American tradition of equating the acquisition of money and material possessions with happiness. 

I decided to Google Christmas in July and found some disturbing references to the Hallmark company in association with slow summer retail sales.  Yes, there was a more innocent and even altruistic, origin story, but the popularity of the tradition is securely rooted in the advertising industry, and the need for endless consumerism.

Unlike the hidden agenda of those who create our need for the new and improved, at least Scrooge is honest in his dislike of charity in general, and Christmas in specific.  His yardstick of what matters is clear, and anything that does not contribute to the advancement of his business and the fruits of his unwavering desire to accumulate money for its own sake, is hum bug.  Disliking Scrooge for his poorly developed priorities, often passes through to feeling sorry for him, especially when we see his unbridled joy when he discovers what is really important in life. 

Scrooge may represent the worst in us when we place possessions above people, but he also represents the idea that no matter how far down the path of materialism we might drift, there is a way back.

This does not seem to be the case for those who make conscious decisions to deceive the public for personal gain, whether that gain increases their purse or influence.  Is there a special place in hell for the wealthy individual who steals from the elderly by pretending to be a young relative in need of some money?  I would expect that most of us would condemn such a strategy, but when we don't generally ask how the rich became rich, when we don't seek a mechanism for evaluating wealth attained through hard work or stealth, or worse, then we condone all forms of wealth accumulation which are legal but immoral, or illegal but hidden from view by measures which great wealth can employ, or just plain horrific.

Today I received one of my 401K statements, the first half of the year now passed.  It is doing well, which should make me happy.  And, if I were to say that I was not happy, that would be disingenuous.  Hypocrisy is so easy to see in others but can hide behind many areas of our own lives. Surging retirement accounts, a record breaking DOW Jones average, and low unemployment are the main arguments for the success of the current Administration.  Being economically comfortable is by no means a small thing, as those who have suffered through past economic hardships will attest. 

Scrooge did not seem a happy person despite his wealth.  The scene in the restaurant where he declined a second piece of bread (I think), as it would add to the cost of his meal, demonstrates that he did not understand that money is a tool, not an ends.  Stories of rich people who have it all yet live unhappy lives are replete in our entertainment based media outlets.  Scores of studies have determined that happiness does increase with economic gain, but only to the level of what we might call upper middle class, incomes in the $80-120,000 range.  After that diminishing returns.

Happiness is full of excerpts and articles which tell us over and over again that accumulating wealth does not lead to contentment.  Yet, we buy lottery tickets in proportion to the size of the jackpot.  We excuse the immoral behavior of our leaders as long as our 401K is doing well.  We support the elimination of regulations that protect our air and water as long as there are job opportunities.  We deny the science of climate change because it might cause us to sacrifice a bit of comfort for the future of our species.     

They call them economic cycles because they include boom and bust.  We are experiencing a boom of historic length, 7 years under Obama, 3 under Trump.  We allowed our national debt to explode when the economy imploded in 2008, yet are ignoring the basic economic premise that we should reduce our debt in good times.  We tear up every year when Scrooge visits his nephew, sends the big turkey to the Cratchit's, and becomes the best man ever in the good old town.

The good news is that, like Scrooge, there is time to reject the soullessness of overt consumerism and rampant materialism, and realize that the business of people is the most important business of all.  Whether that realization will only occur from a visit from the ghosts of Christmas or the next economic downturn, or whether we can prioritize money and possessions somewhat lower than it is currently through a cultural shift in attitude about what is real and what is fantasy, is the question.