Times Are Good

This morning I watched the BYU Forum speech that was delivered September 20, 2001 by Gregg Easterbrook, an economist who is both an author and journalist. The thoughts he shared were drawn primarily from two of the books he authored, Progress Paradox and Sonic Boom. 

He stated the fact that most of what is happening in the world has been positive for decades even though the nature of the media and others would want us to think otherwise by the emphasize on bad news.  In spite of the positive things many people are still suffering much anxiety and are experiencing less happiness than their parents and grandparents.  What psychologists have discovered is that the big red line between the group with a sense of well-being and those with a negative sense of well-being is whether they believe their lives have meaning. 

Easterbrook went onto share that because of the many positive things happening in the world such as more people having greater access to education there is an opportunity for more ideas to improve and change the world.  He encouraged his audience to contribute to the development of the world.

These thoughts should influence as we approach our Esperanza scholars.  Making service learning a part of our Esperanza program will help scholars see that they can influence the world with their ideas which in turn will help them see that their lives have meaning.

I'm anxious to read these two books mentioned as well as other books by this wise gentleman. 

The "Matthew Effect" Is In Full Force

I listened this morning to a segment "In Perspective: Tricia Rose on America's growing inequality" on PBS Need to Know that was disturbing. Rose reported that according to the Congressional Budget Office, between 1980 and 2007, average household income for the bottom 80% has remained relatively constant, while the top 20 has doubled, and the top 1% has nearly quadrupled. She also noted what I mentioned in a previous blog posting about the discrepancy in the drop in median wealth for different American households (white 16%, African American 53%, and Hispanic 66%). White wealth now stands at 20x that of black wealth and 18x that of Hispanic wealth.

Rose also mentioned a study from last year that described wealth as "What you own minus what you owe" which "allows people to start a business, buy a home, send children to college, and ensure an economically secure retirement."

The "Matthew Effect" appears to be in full force. The Matthew effect is the phenomenon that "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer." Before education can address this inequality the opportunity gap for young people needs to be addressed. This is a responsibility that belongs to everyone.