Where there are "Nurse Logs"...

In loss there can be new life.

The old forests, the dwindling numbers that remain, teach us a valuable lesson. They teach us among many other things, that in the death and decay of a fallen tree, the renewing of the forest ecosystem is made possible. Scientists have conducted many studies on this phenomenon in recent years in an attempt to revitalize woodlands depleted by the logging industry. They found that wood decay, such as down wood, tree stumps, diseased fallen branches, and dead trees, are a necessary component of a healthy forest ecosystem. Wood decay provides to the forest many benefits including moisture, nutrients, an important fungus called mycorrhizae, microbes, what are called “nurse logs” (where next generation of trees enjoy growth), as well as habitats for wildlife and insects. And of course a derivative effect of a healthy forest is the enjoyment it brings to our city-centered lives. One of my pleasures in life is the few opportunities a year that I can get away from the hustle and bustle of concrete existence and immerse myself into one of the great deep green worlds where life springs forth in rich abundance, where air is freshly produced, where my legs receive a good burn on soft ground, and where my mind finds renewed interest around every bend in the trail. Without the decay from dead wood -- and the passing on from old to new -- humanity could not enjoy these grand old forests.

In loss there can be new life.

What we know to be true about the forest ecosystem is not too dissimilar from what we experience in our individual lives, in local communities, and in global systems. Take for example, the capitalist “ego”-system. There is no doubt that in the past couple of decades our local communities have experienced tremendous loss from the mass exodus of the manufacturing base to overseas markets. What has been the loss to our communities is the gain to emerging middle classes in China, India, and Brazil. That is good for them; it is of little use to fault other countries for looking out for their national interests. But the loss of so many good jobs here is finally catching up with us. American households are finding it increasingly difficult to find work that can support a family. As a result, more families than ever are necessarily relying on some form of government support to get them through the hard times. But get them through to what? To what end? In late 2008 and into 2009 when our economy rapidly tanked into a recession, there were some who said that we would quickly see a "v-shaped" recovery. These pundits were either purposely lying to the public, or are complete fools. (By the way, the only v-shaped recovery we have seen is on Wall Street -- and of course there is a reason for that, and it goes to the tune of trillions of dollars in bank bailouts, plus the fact that for years now, corporations have relied on growth in developing markets -- the destination of former American jobs -- to make up for stagnate growth here.) For as many who were calling for a "v-shaped" recovery, many more saw ample evidence to support a view of a prolonged period of economic pain. At the heart of this analysis is the simple reality that when good jobs are lost, they cannot be simply regained on a whim and wish.

In loss there can be new life.

One of the challenges that we will face in this country over the next decade is how we will learn to find new economic life through great job loss. Central to this effort must be a focus on completely revamping our education system from the bottom up. Yeah, we've heard pols talk about this for years, but this has been much more talk than action -- it is now at the point of a national emergency. For as much money we have poured into our industrial military complex since the 1980s, we must now set this nation on a new course and begin investing as much time, effort, and resources into our education system. This investment has the potential to become the "nurse log" of new engines of economic growth in the decades ahead. Biotech, nanotech, alternative energy, "green" production -- these industries and others centered on the math and sciences must be the focus of our national attention.

These efforts will be to no avail, however, if the fruit of such focus is once again sent off to cheap labor markets overseas. Coupled with a new level of investment in education, there must be a serious discussion on the appropriate corporate legal structure for this century and beyond. To this end, increasing shareholder rights, particularly minority-holding shareholder rights will be necessary. Further, increasing stakeholder rights will be necessary (here I am referring to the communities and states that provide tax breaks to corporations, as well as the employees who work for the companies and the consumers who rely on their products). Additionally, how business leaders think and conduct business while leading multi-national corporations, must change. I've mentioned this development before, but finally, some of the leading business schools in the country are beginning to introduce business ethics courses into their curriculum. This effort must expand. It should be a requirement for any business major to learn the history of business and particularly the history of the corporate form, including the development of corporate laws. And it should be a requirement to learn ethical analysis and how to properly navigate corporate laws as it interacts with everyday business. This analysis should be some sort of combination, though not exclusively, of Kant's focus on the protection of the individual with Bentham's emphasis on an efficiency calculus.

Every generation is faced with new decisions and challenges. Our generation must come to grips with the destruction wrought from the greed of our parents. The era of "greed is good" is no more. We must find a sustainable path to business practices, one that seeks to meet the aims of profit and purpose; I have called this purpose-driven profitability. We will need to turn to those communities that are hurting most from the flight of American manufacturing to overseas markets. In the many dying towns that dot the rust belt of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and others, we must find innovative uses of old factories and warehouses now left to decay and rot -- nurse logs can be found here. We must turn to the heart of our American cities, dismantled by white suburban flight and American manufacturing flight, and find a new path of opportunity for our urban poor -- nurse logs can be found here too.

The "two Americas" path our parents have led us on -- one in which the luxury of the executive class continues to come at the cost of a basic humane standard of life for the working class -- is not sustainable. Where are the nurse logs of old capitalism -- those dying remnants of a bygone "ego" system and an outdated way of thinking? Where there are nurse logs, let us use our creative energies and love of our fellow neighbors, to find new growth and new hope and new opportunity -- let us find a new sustainable capitalist system, one that is more equitable and more just and more respectful of the dignity of the human being God created.

Peace, and to a New Hope for the New Year. Cheers!

Jeremy MacNealy