Sachsist!!

I like Jeffery Sachs.

I googled his face.... and I must say that I expected him to look more like Sam Beam...or John Lennon post-Beatles....than like a clean cut economist. He's optimistic, in a TOMS or Invisible Children or ONE type of way. So why did I feel he should have a beard? It's really none of my business. Although I must say he could pull off a wicked sweet impression of Steven Colbert if he wanted to.


(Is that a toupee?)

Regardless of his lack of beard, I think Sachs is a very gifted idealist, in a Ivy Leaguean, slightly rebellious, even Woodstockian kind of way. He reminds me of one of those guys who spent his time in high school reading Civil Disobedience and Machiavelli's Prince during math class. I was impressed to read that he graduated summa cum laude from Harvard...I would have guess he was from the West Coast, like California, with his liberalness and hopefulness and all that.

Even two chapters in, I must say that I'm really enjoying Sachs' book. His writing is well-organized and clear, and his take on things resonates with me. Very reminiscent, I think, of the commentary buried in the extra features in the Children of Men DVD (posted on de.li.cio.us in au225).(Check it out here.) The principles of globalization/global warming/environmental degradation/culture clash/power shift/population explosion/convergence/etc. are right up my alley. I love that stuff.

That being said, I find that I agree with Sachs on most points. END EXTREME POVERTY. Of course, we want to do that. SAVE THE PLANET. Indeed. However, it's important to keep in mind that these are hugely--and perhaps, overwhelmingly--ambitious goals. We can't read this book and fix Sub-Saharan poverty. No one person can explain, or even comprehend, the step-by-step political and social boundaries that we will have to overcome in order to accomplish those goals: so I hope Sachs doesn't try.



However, I think he's absolutely right that the problem lies in our attitude: our sense of entitlement for cheap goods....and our ignorance when it comes to the rest of the world (cultures, environment, etc). Our global capitalist economy has spawned this unquenchable thirsty giant that behaves like a crack addict--we want more. Give us more!! And, like Sachs, I'm afraid that we are approaching a cliff of sorts. We passed the proverbial point of no return and its only a matter of time before Asian economy crushes us; before the United States Empire becomes so militarized and exhausted that we fall and crash like imperial Rome; before the physical and invisible walls are erected to separate race from race, creed from creed, poor from rich; before another 9/11; before another Katrina; before the world as we know it implodes on itself like a marshmellow in the microwave.

It's only a matter of time.



Kudos to Jeffrey Sachs for his understanding of the problems we face as a global community...and his dramatic idea that we can somehow stop the world from hitting the fan.