Enron, K-Mart, et. al.: The harder they fall

DAY AFTER DAY, WE ARE WITNESS TO THE enactment of cliches: what goes up must come down; the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

And fall is just what some of the biggest, seemingly successful, companies are doing. Enron has come crashing down, K-Mart has sought bankruptcy protection, Ford and Motorola are laying off thousands of workers and the dot.coms have disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

Venerable old companies or audacious new businesses, all are vulnerable to the bursting of the economic bubble which, we were so easily convinced, would never collapse. And the repercussions at every level are enormous.

Our economic system awards growth; a lack of growth signifies failure. On a corporate level, profits must always increase, and more is always better. On an individual level, we must consume and acquire more. There can never be enough. It's a recipe that encourages greed, and makes greed acceptable.

So stockholders demanded that company profits show growth at what, for many it turns out, was an unrealistic level. Pres. Bush tells us tax cuts will "jump start" the economy, and suggests that to do our part, we go shopping.

In these recessionary times, we sense that something is amiss, that perhaps we should take a closer look at some of our assumptions. What can we learn from Judaism about this acquisitive, "more is better" way of life?

IN PIRKE AVOT, "ETHICS OF THE Fathers", the question is posed, Ayze hu ashir? Who is rich? And the response is given, Ha'sameach b'chelko, one who is content with what one has.

Happiness comes not from wealth, but from an appreciation of what one has. Such an appreciation, if genuine, can free one from greed and allow contentment.

Such a concept cannot be entirely projected onto the country's economy and society. Innovation, brashness, striving are part of what makes America a success story. But as part of the story, perhaps some room can be found to permit a corporate voice that says, "Enough".