Production, Consumption and Being Human

(Prof. Jose Vidamor B. Yu, Manila), 31 october 2006

Many of us regard the advancement of economics and industrialization as a positive development of man capable of creating a better way of life using the resources of the world. However, in the midst of development, there exists the widening gap between the rich countries and the poor ones. The manner of production most of the times never met the demands of consumption. In many instances, the Church opposed first-world countries contributing to the lack of resources in developing countries especially with enormous growing populations. Sometimes the focus is on the programs to curb third-world births rather than to address consumerism of the developed countries as well as to maintain the adequate level of production that would provide the basic needs of the people.

One of the consequences of modernity and technological advancement is secularization. Not only will there be the widening gap between the rich and the poor but the exploitation of the poor by the powerful. Man begins to rely on himself and treat himself as powerful enough to change the world. The Church would not be looked at as an overarching meaning system. There will be a public morality crises in every society and the atmosphere of individualism continue to escalate. Vatican II reminds us that “in the sphere of economics and social life, the dignity and the entire vocation of the human person as well as the welfare of society as a whole have to be respected and fostered; for man is the source, the focus and the end of all economic and social life.” (GS 63)

Production as Method for the Service of Man

The production of goods and services is not an end itself. It has to be regarded as a means to serve the needs of humanity. It supposed to be an opportunity for man experience the development of his humanity and the “fullness of life.” In the Old Testament riches were seen as blessings from God. However, there is strong condemnation for the misuse of material goods like fraud, usury, injustice especially when the poor are directly affected by these abuses. The conversion of heart which Jesus spoke of in the New Testament involves two basic things. One is to be sensitive to the needs of the poor and the other was to develop the sense of stewardship among the goods entrusted to the human person. There should be a balance between production and consumption. The production of goods and services should serve the needs of the population. Production should not be limited and be controlled by the few. Production should meet the demands of the people to be able to fulfill their dreams and aspirations.

Rerum Novarum of Leo XIII warns about the shift from the old form of society to the new which ushers new inventions, styles of living, technology, production of consumer goods and the new rates of production are characterized also with new forms of labor, goods and services. John Paul II in his Centesimus Annus mentioned that the advancements brought about by advanced technology and forms of labor have its setbacks on the dignity of the human person. It highlights that “a new form of property had appeared-capital; and a new form of labor- labor for wages, characterized by high rates of production which lacked due regard for sex, age or family situation, and were determined solely by efficiency, with a view to increasing profits.” (Centesimus Annus 4) The Church reminds all who attempt to assert the predominance of technology, thereby reducing man to a product or a means of production should be aware that man is the subject of work, since in the divine plan work is for man and not man for work. (cf Laborem Exercens 6)

Production of Goods and Human Development

The Church is conscious of the changes that are transpiring in the society today. Since the past decades, the Church tried to foster a renewed consciousness of the demands of the Gospel to specific times and situations. The growing complexity of the society includes the means of production, the division of wealth, and the increasing demands of consumption. These present changes generate pressing problems that address also the human being. Development is not measured by the accumulation of wealth but by the means that advance the human person. These realities also become opportunities for man do rediscover himself from the perspective of the Gospel. Paul VI was clear when he said, “in the present changes, which are so profound and so rapid, each day man discovers himself anew, and he questions himself about the meaning of his own being and of his collective survival.” (OA 7)

Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum explicitly enumerated the results of the new concepts and the forms of economics that were shaping up during his time: new structures of production of consumer goods, new strategies of labor, new forms of private property, and new concentration of urban life. These realities demand also new forms of evangelization which would ensure the dignity of the human person and his destiny. Leo XIII opposed the means of production which is directly controlled by the State. He mentioned that it would reduce every citizen to being a “cog” in the State machine.

Economic changes bring about new forms of poverty and unemployment. The State has the duty to ensure that the dignity of the human person be promoted and protected. The dignity of the human person may be protected through economic reforms that highlight the human being as the beneficiary of economic growth. John Paul II reaffirms Leo XIII saying that the State and society seek ways to just reforms which can restore dignity to work as the free activity of man. Besides, these reforms imply that society and the State will both assume responsibility, especially for protecting the worker from the nightmare of unemployment. John Paul II continues to say that the society and the State must ensure wage levels adequate for the maintenance of the worker and his family, including a certain amount for savings. (Centesimus Annus 15)

Charity

The service of love and charity is at the heart of a just society. Economic changes and development have to ensure justice. Economics is not only a matter of providing material needs to the people but is also an exercise of charity which upholds the dignity of the human being especially in matters concerning the means of production and the weight of consumption. Society will only be humane if there is the virtue of charity. Benedict XVI emphasized that “there is no ordering of the State so just that it can eliminate the need for a service of love.” (Deus Caritas Est 28) The Church helps the State attain its goal of providing means of production and services for the common good. The formation of conscience is one of the primary concerns of the Church so that economic advancement and productive technology be at the service of the human person. The role of the Church is clear in this regard. Benedict XVI further emphasized that the social teachings of the Church have no intention of giving the Church power over the State. Even less is it an attempt to impose on those who do not share the faith ways of thinking and modes of conduct proper to faith. Its aim is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just. (Deus Caritas Est 28)