I admit it. Driving through downtown Chicago is very irritating to me. The traffic is so tight, even when it is not even rush hour. I avoid driving there to protect myself from rage. I sometimes imagine that the tower of Babel was actually a huge condominium, and people were moving back into the city. You know what happened to that city and to that tower.

    Complaining aside, I believe there really is something not right about overcrowded cities. This election, people are focused on the economy. Although I believe that a moral revival  is ultimately what is going to provide peace for this nation and for the people, It seems to be that God did have an economic policy in mind. When God created man, he told human beings to multiply and subdue the earth.

     For some people, the term "subduing the earth" connotes the destruction of creation. If creation is a gift from God, it is not something to be treated with disrespect- polluting unnecessarily or just using it without thinking of consequences. Would you treat a gift with contempt? The rape of creation is caused by the desire of a person or a civilization to amass resources for its glory. It is a product of the idea that creation exists for my glory or the glory of my civilization. The Spanish empire, instead of contributing to another culture, took gold from the Americas to finance its conquests and its luxury. The spread of humanity may be blamed for the lack of rootedness and the deterioration of familial relations. Although valid, we must remember that we bring children into the world not ultimately to be our sources of security (I am not saying that parents should not be their children's concern), but so that the earth will be filled with the glory of God. Also, our real rootedness should ultimately be in the eternal God.

    Nevertheless, despite the abuse of creation, creation is still made for the benefit of humanity. It is not something to be just left alone, for the protection of other species, but is to be harnessed for the benefit of humanity. We must live in harmony with it for our sakes, and it is not an enemy to be eradicated. Although Marijuana and Coca may be made into addictive drugs, we must be open to the idea that we can harness its benefits. It could help some economies and could help in the alleviation of suffering. Shaping creation- Genetic engineering, harnessing the power of the elements for energy, producing works of art and architecture, making wilderness areas more productive and inhabitable, clearing farmlands, exploration- these are all God ordained endeavors that promote prosperity.  

     If human beings are to spread out and subdue the earth, there is something not right about our overcrowded cities. A city may be overcrowded because all the wealth is concentrated in one area. But that concentration of wealth in one area is poor economic policy, even though it may be convenient for a time for those who benefit from this concentration of wealth. I am not an economic expert but I believe there is something to be said about choosing expansion over consolidation of wealth in one person or in one area.

    What practical ways can the government choose expansion over consolidation? By policies that promote relocations of peoples and the building of new communities. Maybe federal support could be moved from Universities to trade programs that would purposely train workers who would create new communities. Companies will be encouraged to invest in this new communities, not in adding businesses in already overcrowded metropolitan areas. What then happens to our deteriorated inner cities? They would be treated as "wildernesses" that needs to become productive and inhabitable again. The goal is the spread of wealth, not by taxation, but by spreading investments and people.