It would be hard to deny many of the ways in which I am a product of, among other things, prosperity.
For example, as I observe the range of goodness that is involved in the lives of my kids (and their kids), I feel aware that a (significant) portion of it was set in motion even before me.
It is in that context that I wish for the opportunities of prosperity that I’ve had for other people — for groups of people, that have not benefited from that kind of prosperity. I simply cannot walk around with the conclusion that it must just be something that I did. Yes, I participated in it and added to it; but, goodness is not located in that small of a frame. It, by nature and essence, is also ever expanding and inclusive.
It's not that there aren’t places that lack goodness, or even that badness doesn’t exist at profound levels. That is, in fact, a harsh reality of our world. But, the combination — where goodness does and where it doesn't exist — simply makes me consider what I can do to extend it into areas where it is not as manifest.
In other words, I can’t (in good conscience) be indifferent to things that help me see the impacts of prosperity or lack of it. I need to keep myself available both to its benefits and its liabilities, in order to see it accurately for what it is. Even, for that matter, to see others accurately.
Prosperity, after all, does not primarily exist simply for our ability to consume things for ourselves. It exists so that the needs of the world can be met — not held and protected by a few, as if it were deserved. Prosperity is meant to be shared for the benefit of all, especially for those who have not even had the opportunity to enjoy its benefits (if not blessings).
...like I have, like my kids have, and like their kids are.
Like poverty sometimes, prosperity can have an effect that surprisingly seems to drift towards "who cares?" So, we have to work at seeing it clearly.
I'm not sure this is exactly where James Baldwin saw his observation being applied, but I think it does nonetheless:
Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind.
