After the Flood

Blogging from Prague again this morning. 

I have been reflecting on the aftermath of communism while here in eastern Europe.  In listening to people here — entrepreneurs, workers, managers — I am struck by the lingering issues from their socialist past.

Although I am now worried about our move toward socialism in the US, I have become more worried about the aftermath. 

Economic decisions have a major impact on a culture.  Although the communist economic system is officially gone, its effects remain everywhere.  People here have become innately dependent upon the state.  It is become so much a part of the culture that it is difficult if not impossible for most citizens to break free of that dependence.  They are like a 47 year old man who never left home and still lives in his parents basement.  He hates his lot in life, but is stuck in a dysfunctional, dependent relationship from which he cannot escape.

It reminds me of a flood.  Although the flood itself is devastating, the aftermath can be even worse.  The stinking sludge that remains after the waters subside can take months to clean up.  And the rebuilding can take years.  But, nothing is ever the same when all is said and done.

We visited a small crystal factory outside of Prague yesterday that was privatized after the fall of communism.  While they are surviving as a business, their ability to compete and their ability to become truly a productive free enterprise seems to have been washed away.  They are just hanging on, not really understanding how to really break free and prosper.

We are facing the flood of socialism right now.  But the aftermath when it fails — and it will fail — might be even worse than the initial waves of socialization.  Even when that day comes when we are able to begin to try to unravel all that is being put in place right now, the damage will remain for years to come.