Secession Rising?, Revisited - Pat Buchanan Surveys the Scene at Home and Abroad

The evidence continues to mount that the world’s countries have grown to an inhuman size.  But perhaps the tide is turning.

Abroad, Mr Buchanan lists these peoples as actively trying to affect a separation:

Scotland is moving toward a referendum on independence from England, three centuries after the Acts of Union. Catalonia pushes to be free of Madrid. Milanese and Venetians see themselves as a European people apart from Sicilians, Neapolitans and Romans.

Dutch-speaking Flanders wants to cut loose of French-speaking Wallonia in Belgium. Francophone Quebec, with immigrants from Asia and the Third World tilting the balance in favor of union, appears to have lost its historic moment to secede from Canada.

Among the Corporate States of America, he speaks about the secession movements in Northern California, Northern Colorado, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Vermont, and Western Maryland.  Of the last of these, Mr Buchanan writes,

While many Red State Americans are moving away from Blue State America, seeking kindred souls among whom to live, those who love where they live but not those who rule them are seeking to secede.

The five counties of Western Maryland — Garrett, Allegheny, Washington, Frederick and Carroll, which have more in common with West Virginia and wish to be rid of Baltimore and free of Annapolis, are talking secession.

The issues driving secession in Maryland are gun control, high taxes, energy policy, homosexual marriage and immigration.

Scott Strzelczyk, who lives in the town of Windsor in Carroll County and leads the Western Maryland Initiative, argues: “If you have a long list of grievances, and it’s been going on for decades, and you can’t get it resolved, ultimately [secession] is what you have to do.”

And there is precedent.

Four of our 50 states — Maine, Vermont, Kentucky, West Virginia — were born out of other states.

Considering that he did not need to mention the more well-known secession movements elsewhere in the Empire - Alaska, Hawai’i, Texas, and the other Southern States in general - to fill out his article, this is a hopeful sign indeed.

Mr Buchanan's essay, ‘Is Red State America Seceding?’, is available here: 

http://buchanan.org/blog/red-state-america-seceding-5934

Ward off the Cold and Flu Naturally - Lavender

From the NaturalNews web site:

‘Hidden beneath the pleasing scent of lavender is a fierce natural medicine and formidable protector. Used since antiquity, lavender was a significant guardian against some of the most deadly infectious diseases of all time - the great epidemics of plague sweeping across Europe throughout the Middle Ages and into the 17th century. The protective aspects of the plant were discovered when tannery workers who utilized the oil in manufacturing, and those who tended lavender fields, appeared to be immune to the disease. Unbeknownst at the time, lavender is an exceptional bactericide and also stimulates the production of white blood cells, thereby creating a robust defense against harmful invading pathogens.’

For the several ways the author recommends using lavender, please mash this path:

http://www.naturalnews.com/042405_lavender_cold_and_flu_season_essential_oils.html

One of the best things about stories like this is that these healing plants - garlic, lavender, Echinacea, etc. - can be grown by us in our own yards, or even in pots in the window.  We don’t have to rely on the sick-care industry to provide us with potent, effective medicines. 

In such small ways can the South and other peoples begin to break free from the corporatocracy even today.

Uncompromised Christian Economic Principles - Part II

Herewith, the last chapter of the Russian Orthodox Church’s encyclical, The Basis of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church, which speaks exclusively of economic matters - Chapter VII, ‘Property’:

Property is commonly understood as a socially recognized form of people’s relation to the fruits of labor and to natural resources. The basic powers of an owner normally include the right to own and use property, the right to control and collect income, the right to dispose of lease, modify or liquidate property. The Church is not an entity that defines the rights to property. However, the material side of human life is not outside her field of vision. While calling to seek first “the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33), the Church does not forget about people’s need for “daily bread” (Mt. 6:11), and believes that everyone should have resources sufficient for life with dignity. At the same time, the church warns against the extreme attraction to wealth, denouncing those who are carried away by “cares and riches and pleasures of this life” (Lk. 8:14). The Church, in her attitude towards property, does not ignore people’s material needs, nor does she praise the opposite extreme, the aspiration for wealth as the ultimate goal and value of life. The status of a person in itself cannot be seen as an indication as to whether God is pleased with him.

The attitude of Orthodox Christians to property should be based on gospel’s principle of love of one’s neighbor, expressed in the words of the Savior: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another” (Jn. 13:34). This commandment is the basis of Christian moral behavior. For Christians – and the Church believes, for other people as well – it should be an imperative in regulating interpersonal relationships, including property relations.

According to the teaching of the Church, people receive all their earthy blessings from God, Who is the One Who holds the absolute right to possess them. The Savior repeatedly points to the relative nature of the right to property in His parables about a vineyard rented out to be used (Mk. 12:1-9), about talents distributed among many (Mt. 25:14-30), and about an estate handed over for temporary management (Lk. 16:1-13). Expressing the idea inherent in the Church that god is the absolute owner of everything, St. Basil the Great asks: “Tell me, what do you have that is yours? From where did you take it and bring it to life?” The sinful attitude towards property manifested in the conscious rejection of this spiritual principle generates division and alienation among people.

Wealth cannot make man happy. The Lord Jesus Christ warns: “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things which he possesses” (Lk. 12:15). The pursuit of wealth makes a pernicious impact on the spiritual condition of a person and can lead him to complete degradation. St. Paul points out that “people who long to be rich are a prey to temptation; they get trapped into all sorts of foolish and dangerous ambitions, which eventually plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evil: and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith, and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds. But, as a man of God, you must avoid all that” (1 Tim. 6:9-11). In a talk to a young man the Lord said: “If you will be perfect, go and sell what you have, and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Mt. 19:21). Then He explained those words to His disciples: “It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven… It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Mt. 19:23-24). St. Mark clarifies that it is difficult to enter the Kingdom of God precisely for those who trust not in God but in wealth, who “trust in riches” (Mk. 10:24). Only those who “trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abides for ever” (Ps. 125:1).

However, a rich man can be saved as well, for “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Lk. 18:27). In Holy Scripture there is no censure of wealth as such. Abraham and the Old Testament Patriarchs, the righteous Job, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea were all affluent people. One who owns considerable wealth does not sin if he uses it in accordance with the will of God, to Whom everything belongs, and with the law of love; for the joy and fullness of life lie not in acquiring and possessing, but in giving and sacrifice. St. Paul calls people “to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said: It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). St. Basil the Great regards as thieves those who do not give away part of their property as charity to their neighbors. The same idea is stressed by St. John Chrysostom: “Failure to share one’s property is also theft.” The Church urges Christians to see in property a gift from God, given to be used for their own and their neighbors’ benefit.

At the same time, Holy Scripture recognizes the human right to property and deplores any encroachment on it. In two out of its Ten Commandments, the Decalogue states clearly: “You shall not steal… You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor’s” (Ex. 20:15, 17). In the New Testament, this attitude to property continues, acquiring a more profound ethical confirmation. The Gospel says: “You shall not steal… You shall not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, namely: You must love your neighbor as yourself” (Rom. 13:9).

The Church recognizes the existence of various forms of ownership. Public, corporate, private and mixed forms of property have taken different roots in the course of the history of various nations. The church does not give preference to any of these forms. Any of its forms can produce both sinful phenomena – such as theft, greed, unfair distribution of wealth – and the proper and morally justified use of wealth.

Intellectual property, such as scientific works and inventions, information technologies, works of art and other achievements of the creative thought acquires a growing significance. The Church welcomes creative work aimed at benefiting society, and deplores the violation of copyright.

In general, the Church cannot approve of the appropriation and re-distribution of property that violates the rights of its legitimate owners. An exception may be made only for the appropriation of property based on the law, conditioned by the interest of the majority of people and accompanied by fair compensation. Russian history has shown that the violation of these principles has always resulted in social upheavals and people’s suffering.

In Christian history, many communities have pooled their property, abandoning personal proprietary aspirations. This kind of property relations contributed to the consolidation of the spiritual unity of the faithful and in many cases proved rather effective economically, as in the case of Orthodox monasteries. However, the repudiation of private property in the early apostolic community (Acts 4:32) and later in coenobite monasteries was exclusively a voluntary affair and a personal spiritual option.

The property of religious organizations is a special form of property. It is acquired in various ways, but the primary characteristic of its development is the volu7ntary donation by believers. According to Holy Scriptures, donation is sacred, that is, it belongs directly to God as a donor gives to God, not to a priest (Lev. 27:30; Ez. 8:28). Donation is a voluntary action made by the faithful for religious purposes (Neh. 10:32). Donation is called to support not only the servants of the Church, but also the whole people of God (Phil. 4:14-18). Being consecrated to God, donation is immune, and any one who has stolen it must return more than has been stolen (Lev. 5:14-15). Donation belongs to the basic commandments given by God to man (Sirach 7:30-34). As donation is a special case of economic and social relations, it should not be made automatically subject to the laws regulating finances and economy of a state, in particular, public taxation. The Church declares that the income drawn through entrepreneurial activity can be taxed, but any encroachment on the donations of believers is a crime before people and God.

Source: http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/currentissues/articles/churchAndSociety/chapters/chapter7.cfm

* * * * *

Afterword:

Bishop Amvrosios of Greece said this of his nation:

‘Our only salvation is to return to repentance to God’s ways. We idolised money and then went bankrupt! Let us return to God’s ways and correct our lives. May the example of the prodigal son in the Gospel parable inspire us. The Lord who loves mankind awaits us with open arms! Amen!’ (emphasis added)

http://www.events.orthodoxengland.org.uk/we-idolised-money-and-then-went-bankrupt-the-church-of-greece/

Let the South similarly confess her sin of idolatry before a catastrophe befalls us as it has Greece.  We have made economic growth our god (one of them, at any rate), from which we sought an earthly paradise.  We have forgotten that we are pilgrims here, that the earth is not our true homeland, that our lives are not to be filled with comfort and indulgence but with struggles and hardships of various kinds.  

We have made many things serve this god:  education, so our people would have the technical skills to fill the vacancies in factories, offices, etc.; religion, so our people would be orderly and honest workers; politics, so our laws would create a business climate capable of attracting the mega-corporations that we are told are so important to our economic well-being; etc.

Let the economy instead honor God and serve man, humbly helping us to work out our salvation during our journey to Heaven-ward as we keep in our hearts the blessed words of the Holy Apostle:  ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain’ (I Timothy 6:6).

Uncompromised Christian Economic Principles - Part I

Political economy is not a law unto itself.  It too is subject to the laws of God, and, therefore, to the scrutiny of Christ’s Church.

Eastern Christians, having been purified by their terrible sufferings under the Communist yoke, have acquired a deep wisdom in many areas that we would do well to heed.  The realm of economics is no exception.

Here then are portions of an encyclical of the Russian Orthodox Church published in August of the year 2000 (entitled The Basis of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church) that deal specifically with economic matters.  Below one will find the wisdom of the Church on issues affecting labor: creativity, the Sabbath, turning the economy and civilization into idols (such as the American Empire has done), what sort of labor is virtuous and what sort not, the just distribution of material goods, etc. 

The other sections of the encyclical touching on economic life will follow in Part II of this series.

But for now, we present Chapter VI of the encyclical, ‘Labor and Its Fruits’ (accessible at this address: http://www.stlukeorthodox.com/html/currentissues/articles/churchAndSociety/chapters/chapter6.cfm):

VI.1. Labor is an organic element of human life. The Book of Genesis says that in the beginning “there was not a man to till the ground” (Gen. 2:5). Having created the Garden of Eden, God put man in it “to till it and to care for it” (Gen. 2:15). Labor is the creative fulfillment of man who was called to be the co-creator and co-worker of the Lord by virtue of his original likeness with God. However, after man fell away from the Creator, the nature of his Labor changed: “In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, until you return to the ground” (Gen. 3:19). The creative component of labor weakened to become mostly a means of sustenance for fallen man.

VI.2. The Word of God does not only draw people’s attention to the need of daily labor, but also sets a special rhythm for it. The fourth commandment reads: “Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy. Six days shall you labor, and do all your work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: that day you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, your daughter, your servant your maidservant, your cattle, nor the stranger within your gates” (Ex. 20:8-10). By this commandment of the Creator human labor is compared to the divine creative work of making and creating the universe. Indeed, the commandment to observe the Sabbath is substantiated by the fact that in the creation “God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work which He created and made” (Gen. 2:3). This day should be dedicated to the Lord so that everyday chores may not divert man from the Creator. At the same time, the active manifestations of charity and selfless aid to one’s neighbors- are not violations of the commandment: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath (1~1k. 2:27). In Christian tradition, the first day of the week, the day of the Resurrection of Christ, has been a day of rest since apostolic times.

VI.3. The improvement of the tools and methods of labor, its division into professions and the move to more complex forms contribute to better material living standards. However, people’s enticement with the achievements of civilization moves them away from the Creator and leads to an imaginary triumph of reason that seeks to arrange earthly life without God. The realization of such aspirations in human history has always ended in tragedy. Holy Scriptures relates that the first builders of earthly civilization were Cain’s successors: Lamech and his children invented and made the first copper and iron tools, movable tents and various musical instruments; they were also the founders of many skills and arts (Gen. 4:22). However, they and many other people with them failed to avoid temptations: “all men lived corrupt lives on earth” (Gen. 6:12). Therefore, the Creator willed that the civilization of Cain be ended with a flood. Among the most vivid biblical images of the failure of fallen humanity “to make a name for itself’ is the construction of the Tower of Babel “whose top may reach to heaven.” The Tower of Babel is presented as a symbol of people joining efforts to achieve an ungodly goal. The Lord punishes arrogant men: by confusing their tongues He makes understanding among them impossible and scatters them throughout the earth.

VI.4. From a Christian perspective, labor in itself is not an absolute value. It is blessed when it represents co-working with the Lord and contributing to the realization of His design for the world and mankind. However, labor is not something pleasing to God if it is intended to serve the ego-centered interests of the individual or human communities, and to meet the sinful needs of the spirit and the flesh. Holy Scriptures points to two moral motives of labor: work to sustain oneself without being a burden for others, and work to give to the needy. The Apostle writes: “Let him labor, working with his hands that which is good, so he may have to give to him who is in need” (Eph. 4:28). Such labor cultivates the soul and strengthens the body and enables the Christian to express his faith in God-pleasing works of charity and love of his neighbor (Mt. 5:16; James 2:17). Everyone remembers the words of St. Paul: “If any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thess. 3:10). The Fathers and Doctors of the Church continuously stressed the moral meaning of labor. Thus, St. Clement of Alexandria described it as “a school of social justice.” St. Basil the Great argued that “a pious intention should not be a pretext for idleness and evasion from work, but rather an incentive for even more work.” St. John Chrysostom insisted that “not labor, but idleness should be regarded as dishonor.” Monks in many monasteries gave an example of laborious asceticism. Their economic activity was in many ways an example for emulation, while the founders of major monasteries were renowned not only as high spiritual authorities but also great toilers. Well known are such models of zealous work as the Venerable Theodosius of Pechory, Sergius of Radonezh, Cyril of White Lake, Joseph of Volotsk, Nil of Sora and other Russian ascetics.

VI.5. The Church blesses every work aimed to benefit people. At the same time, she does not give preference to any form of human work if it conforms to Christian moral standards. In His parables, our Lord Jesus Christ keeps referring to various professions, without singling out any of them. He speaks of the work of a sower (W. 4:3-9), servants and the ruler of a household (Lk. 12:42-48), a merchant and fishermen (Mt. 13:4548), the householder and laborers of a vineyard (Mt. 20:1-16). Modem times, however, have seen the emergence of a whole industry intended to propagate vice and sin and satisfy such pernicious passions and addictions as drinking, drug-addiction, fornication and adultery. The Church testifies to the sin of being involved in such activities as they corrupt not only workers, but also society as a whole.

VI.6. A worker has the right to use the fruits of his labor: “Who plants a vineyard, and does not eat of its fruits? Who feeds a flock, and does not drink the milk of the flock?... He who plows should plow in hope; and he who threshes in hope should be a partaker of his hope” (I Cor. 9:7, 10). The Church teaches that refusal to pay for honest work is not only a crime against man, but also a sin before God. Holy Scripture says: “You shall not oppress a hired servant... At his day you shall give him his pay... lest he cry against you to the Lord, and it be sinful to you” (Deut. 24:14-15); “Woe to him... who uses his neighbor’s services without wages, and does not give him anything for his work” (Jer. 22:13); “Indeed, the wages of the laborers who reaped your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth” (James 5:4). At the same time, by God’s command those who work are ordered to take care of those who for various reasons cannot earn their living, such as the weak, the sick, strangers (refugees), orphans and widows. The worker should share the fruits of his work with them, “that the Lord may bless you in all the work of your hands” (Deut. 24:19-22). Continuing on earth the service of Christ Who identified Himself with the destitute, the Church always comes out in defense of the voiceless and powerless. Therefore, she calls upon society to ensure the equitable distribution of the fruits of labor, in which the rich support the poor, the healthy the sick, the able-bodied the elderly. The spiritual welfare and survival of society are possible only if the effort to ensure life, health and minimal welfare for all citizens becomes an indisputable priority in distributing material resources.

Ward off the Cold and Flu Naturally

Given the dangers of taking the flu vaccine,

http://www.naturalnews.com/042159_flu_shot_vaccine_myths_influenza.html

it should be avoided by most.  However, there are still a number of ways to protect yourself and your families and friends from cold and flu viruses.  This article by Dr Mercola lists several:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/23/garlic-health-benefits.aspx

The opening lines:

If you want a simple way to increase the disease-fighting power of your meals, be generous with your use of high-quality herbs and spices. This applies year-round, but as cold and flu season nears, you may want to consider spicing things up more than you might normally.

There is no shortage of research showing that herbs and spices are among the healthiest you can consume. And they’re a “secret weapon” that just about everyone can take advantage of, regardless of your budget.

Garlic in particular has long been hailed for its healing powers, especially against infectious diseases like cold and flu.

This is likely due to its immune boosting effects. Fresh garlic is also a potent antibacterial, antiviral and anti-fungal agent. But its therapeutic effects may go much further than that.

A Different Way to Settle the Wilderness . . .

 . . . and build intentional Christian communities, courtesy of Saint Ammon of Egypt.

"Our holy Father Ammon's parents died in his childhood. He was brought up by an uncle, who made him marry when he was still very young. On the night of his wedding, as soon as he and his wife retired to the bridal chamber, Ammon took up the holy Scriptures and read the passage in the Epistle to the Corinthians where the Apostle speaks of the disadvantages of marriage because of all the troubles and cares that come with it, while virgins consecrated to the Lord can devote themselves without distraction to prayer and to spiritual labour. Both spouses took the following words literally: From now on, let those who have wives be as though they had none... and those who deal with the world, as though they had no dealings with it (1 Cor. 7:29,31). They decided to remain in their virginity and to retire together to a desert place where they could give themselves over to prayer and fasting. They set out for the mountain of Nitria, some way from Alexandria, and settled in a little hut there. But, living together as man and woman, they soon realized the inexpedience of tempting nature head-on and of provoking the attacks of demons. They parted company, therefore, each to live separately in ascesis. Ammon never used wine or oil but lived only on dry bread that he ate every two or three days.

"His manner of life was pleasing to the Lord, and a great many brethren who wanted to embrace the monastic life soon came to join him. When a new aspirant arrived, Ammon would immediately let him have his own cell with everything in it, and the other brethren would secretly bring provisions to the newcomer or whatever else might be useful. This showed that fraternal love was first among the laws observed in this ever-growing brotherhood. In a few years, under the direction of Ammon, the desert of Nitria was transformed into a veritable city. Some of the brethren now wanted to build their cells at a distance where they could live in greater solitude, so when one day Saint Antony the Great came to visit him, Abba Ammon asked his advice about the place to choose. At the ninth hour, after taking a scanty meal together, they walked in the desert until sunset, when they set up a cross at the place they had reached, so that those who wanted to could build their cells there with the blessing of the two Elders. 'In this way', Abba Antony said, 'the brethren coming from Nitria, after a meal at the ninth hour, to see those who are here, will meet them at this moment. And if those who leave here to go to Nitria do the same, they will not lose their hesychia (stillness).' This was how the desert of Kellia ('the Cells') came to be established almost twelve miles from Nitria. More than six hundred monks were soon living there, each in his own cell.

"Saint Ammon and Saint Antony were united in a deep spiritual friendship. When Abba Ammon gave up his soul in peace to the Lord at Nitria, Antony, far away on his mountain, broke off the conversation he was having with some monks and, in ecstasy, saw the soul of Ammon going up to Heaven accompanied by the joyful hymns of a multitude of angels. Among other words inspired by the Holy Spirit, Saint Ammon said, 'Bear with everyone as God bears with you'." (Synaxarion)

Found at http://www.abbamoses.com/months/october.html for the day of 4 October.

There are still plenty of wilds in the States and Canada that could be settled in the way described above: deserts, mountains, plains, forests, marshes.  But are there any men and women whose hearts are sufficiently free from bondage to the passions and the other snares of the earthly life to even begin such a formidable spiritual struggle?

They Have Us Right Where They Want Us - Part II

Part I of this series offered a glimpse of the corporations who control so much of life nowadays; Part II will explore what industrialism/corporatism has done for the average adult in the united States.

As Allan Carlson explained in his presentation to the ISI conference (see earlier post, ‘Toward Christian Economics’), in traditional societies most families are fairly self-sufficient.  But when the ideology of industrialism intrudes, most become quite dependent on the big conglomerates to provide them their necessities in exchange for labor.

This is borne out by the numbers. 

In the united States, farmers amount to less than one percent of the population (2.2 million out of 313 million), with three-fifths of all crop sales coming from only about 188,000 of that 2.2 million.

Source:  http://www.epa.gov/agriculture/ag101/demographics.html

This is a dangerous condition for any people.  First and foremost, it takes one of the most basic necessities out of our control.  If no food made it to the grocery store shelves for a month or more, how many would fare well?  Second, even if it does continue to arrive in a timely manner, there is still the quality of the food to consider.  Many of our chronic illnesses are due to various pesticides, dyes, preservatives, flavorings, etc. added to the produce of factory farms, whether at the farm or during processing.

With so few people able to make a living off the land, many millions are forced to sell our labor to others, some to small businesses, many more to oversized businesses.  The stats:  ‘Some 19.6 million Americans work for companies employing fewer than 20 workers, 18.4 million work for firms employing between 20 and 99 workers, and 14.6 million work for firms with 100 to 499 workers. By contrast, 47.7 million Americans work for firms with 500 or more employees.’

Source:  http://economics.about.com/od/smallbigbusiness/a/us_business.htm

Only 9.2 million Americans are now self-employed.

Source:  http://rt.com/usa/recession-number-americans-self-employed-787/

Thus, we have lost much of our day-to-day freedom in order to work for the new masters of society (big industrial businesses - or their dependencies - of one kind or another).  This would be bad enough, but it is made the worse by the fact that the work is often dull, monotonous, lacking creativity, and hazardous to the workers’ health (e.g., chemical exposure, repetitive motion, too much sitting, not enough time outdoors in the sunlight).

When joy is therefore divorced from work as it is in many places in the States, people try to make up for this by buying - buying movies, buying food, buying phones, buying cars.  Or by indulging in some of the other vices encouraged by business advertising.  The endless cycle of producing and consuming is thus established, covetousness and envy become the foundation of the economy, and new products must be introduced and new markets must be opened continuously (subjecting ever more people in the world to the destructive effects of industrialism) in order to keep the whole system afloat

This is NOT the incarnation of Christianity in the realm of economics.  It is truly an evil system that chains us to this world, blinds us to spiritual reality, denies free will and the idea of God-given vocation, and encourages the worship of money rather than the All-Holy Trinity.  Of these things we must repent, removing ourselves, our families, and our villages and towns as much as possible from the industrialized/globalized economy, and dedicating ourselves anew to living uncomfortably in this world, to preparing every day for the eternal life to come, that we might have a good defense at the Dread Judgment of Christ.