Narcissism, overestimation of self or self as center of the universe, is different than healthy self-esteem. Narcissism brings distrust and aversion, not success. Spirituality, inclusion in a greater reality, and gratitude are antidotes. Saying "I love you" is an invitation to connection while repeating "I am special: or "I am a princess" foster separation. As prejudice can be gradually overcome, narcissism can be overcome individually and collectively.

"When US workers struck for the eight hour day in 1886, they were going beyond pay issues and demanding that labor have a role in controlling the process of production. Today, we need a progressive alliance to challenge not only how many hours we work, but the quality, durability and even the necessity of goods we produce. Drastically cutting the hours we work will help save the Earth’s ecology only if it is part of an overarching goal to improve the quality of our lives while reducing the grand mass of manufactured objects."

"Might John F. Kennedy serve as a model for how “liberals” could again speak from their moral heart? Back when the assault on “liberal” was beginning, Kennedy passionately defended his ethical vision.
Kennedy said:
“If by a 'liberal' they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people — their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties — someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a 'liberal,' then I'm proud to say I'm a 'liberal.’”

The old story promised stability based on enterprise but delivered chaos based on speculation. It preached transparency but created a world ruled by occult financial knowledge.." This 24-page pdf article was presented at the first meeting of the WFC Commission on Future Finance, Cairo, March 28-29, 2009. "The pioneer of a `steady-state', ethical and ecological economics, Prof. Herman Daly, warned that economic globalization is the last attempt to escape natural limits by growing into the economic and ecological space of other countries. Having now reached global limits from which there is no escape, we need to recognize that natural laws will always overrule economic laws. You can negotiate with creditors but not with melting glaciers! Non-existent oil cannot be burnt at any price.." to read the article from the World Future Council, http://www.worldfuturecouncil.org, click

"Here is the grand vision I suggest Americans can pursue: the right of all citizens to larger lives. Not to get richer than the next guy or necessarily to accumulate more and more stuff but the right to live life more fully and engage more expansively the elemental possibilities of human existence…"

Correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the prospects for a modern New Deal to help artists weather the recession.

"Indicators of avoidance are what come to mind while absorbing the various rescue, recovery, stimulus and guarantee programs coming out of the Obama Administration to slow and reverse a splintering and shattering economy. If the Obamites do not act now when the political time is ripest, to put into motion forces of deterrence and prevention, the casino capitalists of tomorrow will again be able to de-stabilize our economy. The other day I saw Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, just about predicting another round of recklessness in about fifteen years. But he called it “human nature” not casino capitalism."

This Bill Moyers interview is going viral so fast, I can’t even keep up with it. And for a very good reason - former S&L regulator Bill Black explains exactly why the current banking bailout is a mistake. Hat-tip to Crooks & Liars for content!