Think about it: What happens when a natural disaster, such
as a massive fire or flood, hits a region of the country? Well, what happens is
that people flee their homes taking with them what they can. They leave behind
everything else because to them, the preservation of life is priority number
one.
Unfortunately, other people have a different set of
priorities. They take the risk of perishing in the disaster by going into the
abandoned homes from where they take the valuables they can carry. At other
times the authorities in charge of the jurisdiction where the disaster has
occurred, would send its law enforcement arm to try and protect the abandoned
homes. Most of the time, however, the thieves that brave the disaster are not
deterred by any kind of law enforcement, thus proceed with their looting spree.
People that follow the news of the events, are not offended
by what law enforcement tries to do because they determine it is normal as well
as moral to prevent thieves from enriching themselves at the expense of those
hit by a disaster. That's a good thing, of course, but are there moments when
the correct human responses to such events are suspended? In other words, are
there people whose morality has been so distorted, they would rebuke the
authorities for protecting the possessions of the afflicted instead of
condemning the thieves? Believe it or not, the answer to this question is yes;
there are such people.
Judging by the way that children empathize with those who
suffer, we must conclude that human beings are born with a healthy kind of
morality wired into them. So then, how does it happen that some of them grow up
to be so immoral as to rebuke the authorities and side with the criminals who
add to the woes of the helpless; those already suffering from a serious
calamity?
The answer to that question boils down to one word:
indoctrination. As much as morality is wired into us, we are also wired to
learn. The problem is that we learn the things that turn out to be bad as
easily as we learn the things that turn out to be good. And when the learning
of something is designed to be an end in itself instead of a tool used to
enhance the quality of life, what we’ve learned becomes a doctrine that is an
end in itself … and anything can happen as a result.
For example, if what we've learned is a doctrine that says
it is a good thing when everyone runs around and grabs what they can because in
the end, an invisible hand will tend to even things out while making everyone
wealthier, the result will be that someone will grow up and rebuke the
authorities for apprehending the thieves that rob those afflicted by a
disaster. And they will see nothing wrong with that.
Well, let's be blunt; you find this to be extremely
difficult to believe, and you want to see a real example. As a matter of fact,
there is one you can look at. It came under the title: “The Run on Iran's Rial”
and the subtitle: “The currency is falling and inflation is rising as renewed
sanctions loom.” Actually, it is an editorial that was printed in the July 31,
2018 edition of the Wall Street Journal. Here is the part that exposes the evil
doctrine disguised for this occasion as Capitalist economics:
“Our sources say Iranian authorities arrested black-market
currency dealers in Tehran, which will further spook markets. Shooting the
messengers usually does”.
What this says is that the editors of the Wall Street
Journal do not consider as criminals, those who loot homes in the aftermath of
a disaster. They think of them as messengers. Yes, messengers. But messengers
of what? Of the reality that the fire or the flood is on? Everybody can see
that? We don't need a self-serving looter to tell us what it is that's hurting
us by rubbing salt in the wound. No, there is no room for this kind of doctrine
in the roster of moralities by which we, human beings, conduct our daily lives.
Yes, there is an invisible hand that tends to even things
out, but it will not make everyone wealthier. Those who teach a course in
economics should make that clear to their students lest the lesson turn out to
be a doctrine of the immoral kind. In addition, everyone in this business
should know that the invisible hand does not have five normal fingers; it has one
giant middle finger that clobbers those trying to live the moral life, and
boosts those who grab what they can and run.
Capitalism works well when twinned with good morality. It
becomes destructive when twinned with the kind of morality that's espoused by
the editors of the Wall Street Journal.