Thursday Reflection Week 2

Another stimulating day looking at how Marxism has had a great effect on the understanding of culture. My understanding of Marx is very limited. I’ve read about him, but never his works. As I understand Marx he was still dealing with a pre-modern worldview that saw a limited amount of resources in the world. Thus, the masses would arise and overthrow their oppressors because they were not getting a fair share of the pie. He failed to see that resources, particularly wealth, were not limited in the fashion he felt. The masses did not rise against their so-called oppressors because the size of the pie continued to increase as did the amount of it they were receiving. Marx followed in a tradition as old as the world: whenever there is a large cultural shift some will rise up, bemoan the changes, and point to how the past was a better time.

This goes back to the children of Israel wandering the desert and complaining to Moses that while they were beaten, enslaved, and starved back in Egypt at least it was predictable. Ecclesiasties 7:10 reminds us that longing for the good old days does not come from a place of wisdom. Returning to the past is not only impossible, but foolish as we.