Dog-eared in the knapsack

The Movement


"One way we could describe the task ahead of us is by saying that we need to enlarge the consciousness and the conscience of the economy...Undoubtedly some people will want to start a movement to bring this about. They probably will call it the Movement to Teach the Economy What It Is Doing--the MTEWIID. Despite my very considerable uneasiness, I will agree to participate, but on three conditions.

My first condition is that this movement should begin by giving up all hope and belief in piecemeal, one-shot solutions...

My second condition is that the people in the movment (the MTEWIID) should take full responsiblity for themselves as members of the economy. If we are going to teach the economy what it is doing, then we need to learn what we are doing. This is going to have to be a private movement as well as a public one...The outward harmony that we desire between our economy and the world depends finally upon an inward harmony between our own hearts and the creative spirit that is the life of all creatures.

My third condition is that this movement should content itself to be poor."



-Wendell Berry, in Citizenship Papers