Influence and hope for the future

One of the many things that the period of the enlightenment did was to raise up the idea of the individual. Cogito ergo sum in the words of Descartes, I think therefore I am, placed the individual above all else and has been a Western phenomena since then. Luke's gospel appears to back this claim with the rich man praising the efforts of his steward in looking after his own needs (Lk 16.1-9). The steward goes out of his way to falsify things in a manner that would aid his uncertain future to the detriment of the rich man. Is this really what we are being asked to do for ourselves, to go out of our way to commit fraud and enable our own days of retirement, or is there something here that such a simple reading misses?

I am fairly certain that the perpetuation of fraud is not what is being condoned here. In this passage it is not the act that is of importance it is the community that is being formed. Due to the persistence of the Descartian model we, perhaps, automatically read these passages as being promoters of self. This is understandable because we have been instilled within a cultural bias that leads us to move the individual above all others. We do this often in medicine as well as within our work place situations. The move is towards the building up and extending the viability of the self over a long period of time. Often when we come close to the top of our sphere of influence it is about retention of our power and authority. This often leads to mistrust and division as we try to compete for the perceived benefits of being at the top. This is, however, an extremely Western orientated view or as some might say a colonialist point of view.

Stewardship begins by fostering community

Looking at cultural norms which are considered to be foreign, and indeed ripe for colonisation by Western ideals, we find a very different outlook. Here in Australia, Indigenous groups are linked not by the power of the individual but rather by relationship and kinship; in America there is an inter-relational understanding of people and the land / natural waters, such inter-relationality is taken to include personhood for rivers as is also seen in New Zealand. In Africa, of course, there is an understanding of Ubuntu. In highlighting these cultures we begin to see the cultural norm of the Middle Eastern "indigenous" cultures at the time o Roman (Western) colonisation. It is a village perspective that sees as in Australian Indigenous culture, "One community, many eyes". Thus, it is a perspective that does not see from the individuals view point but rather from a community viewpoint.

In this we actually find meaning in the parable that Christ tells. It is not about individual survival against the odds. It is rather about the gathering of community around ourselves so that we can support each other in times of hardship. It is not about self but rather about the garnering of community around oneself. If it was solely about self it would have a dark undertone and no real approval. It would be about gaining self esteem and ensuring that I became rich not that others would gain. If we truly believe in Christ's presence then we must also believe in the community of Christ and God that is found in the body of Christ. Irrespective of how we garner that support, so long as it does not create dissonance within our own communities than we must pursue this as far as possible. Did the steward cheat the rich man, in one sense yes he did but in the end he actually created a more stable relationship with the rich man as the rich man did with his customers.