There has been much more to this semester than just discussing the financial crisis of 2008 or reading Octavia Butler’s dystopian novel Parable of the Sower which takes place in a future America where political failure, economic inflation and climate change have caused civilization to collapse. The narrative centers on Lauren Olamina, a young child with hyperempathy who develops the ‘Earthseed’ belief. Lauren recruits a group of followers and teaches them how to adapt to change and work together to create a better future as she navigates a scary and dangerous world after losing her home. In a seemingly damaged world, the tale is about surviving, overcoming challenges, and finding hope.
Finding links between books and the actual world, between the past and the present, and even between me and the greater scheme of things has been the focus in class. Writing this feels like a struggle because, to be honest, this is the one book I really understood the most so I have a lot of thoughts on it. Many people were severely impacted by the 2008 financial crisis, often referred to as the subprime mortgage crisis, the foreclosure criticism, or the housing crisis. It demonstrated how erratic the world can be, particularly in regards to money and faith. I saw the connection between that crisis and the world of Power of the Sower. Both deal with the breakdown of trust, structures, and things that people believed to be stable. This got me thinking about how people manage to survive while everything around them collapses.
The primary thing that caught my attention was how the 2008 financial crisis and Parable of the Sower are both about the collapse of the systems we rely on. Lauren lives in a civilization in Parable of the Sower where the police, the government, and even local communities have essentially failed. After people are left to fend for themselves, Lauren develops the Earthseed philosophy, which emphasizes flexibility. Fortunately, the 2008 crisis wasn’t as severe as the events in the novel, but it still felt like institutions were breaking. Millions of people abruptly lost their houses as the housing market imploded after banks lent out loans to unworthy borrowers. Families had to learn to live when everything they relied on collapsed. It made me think of Lauren’s situation when her town is devastated and she is forced to escape and start fresh. People in both situations had to quickly adjust or risk falling behind.
Despite the similarities, I believe that one significant distinction is the amount of authority people had to make changes. Lauren is incredibly resolute and takes charge of her life. In the Parable of the Sower, in her journal she envisioned a new community that she refers to as Earthseed, and therefore produces something new instead of waiting for someone else to save her. However, those who lost everything in 2008 didn’t always have the same choices in real life. It wasn’t as easy as starting over if you were evicted from your home or were unable to find employment. The story’s depiction of how unfair structures can be got me thinking. The banks and businesses that triggered the crisis, for example, received massive bailouts, but the average person received far less assistance. Those who received bailouts were those who most likely shouldn’t have received the loans in the first place, particularly given they already had bad debt. Those with good credit and reasonable loan borrowing, on the other hand, were left to continue repaying their debts without any assistance or bailout
A further example of how unfair system failures can be is that the big companies that precipitated the crisis were, as I said, bailed out and permitted to continue operations, while regular people lost their houses and their jobs. This is similar to the world of the Parable of the Sower, where the weak and impoverished suffer the most while the wealthy and strong appear to have everything under control. This led me to also wonder if the structures we depend on are designed to safeguard the wealthy and ignore the rest of the world. It’s distressing, but it also made me understand how critical it is to consider how we might improve these institutions and challenge their fairness. This made me question whether the systems are designed to fail the average person while protecting the powerful. I find that to be annoying but it helps me understand the significance of Lauren’s statement “God is Change”. Which means she thinks we need to be prepared to adjust because nothing stays the same when she says “God exists to be shaped. God is Change.” because the only constant is change.
So why is any of this important? In my opinion, both the 2008 financial crisis and the Parable of the Sower teach us that things aren’t as stable as they seem. The Parable of the Sower illustrates how brittle society can be when people disregard the warning signs around them, while the facial crisis demonstrates how easily the systems we depend on, such as banks and housing markets can fail us when overloaded. Although that can be frightening, it also forces us to consider our course of action under those circumstances. For Lauren, it’s her faith in community and Earthseed. For individuals in 2008, it was organizing food banks, and mutual aid. Both demonstrated how crucial it is to support one another when systems malfunction. The fact that these kinds of reflections aid in our understanding of the wider picture is another reason it matters. Events like the 2008 financial crisis can be easily reduced to statistics, such as stock market crashes, unemployment rates, and foreclosures. However, it becomes more relatable when viewed through a lens similar to the Parable of the Sower. You witness the struggle for survival, the people and the terror. I’m now more sympathetic and conscious of how these issues impact actual lives as a result of that viewpoint.
This semester, one of the most important things I’ve learned is how to look at events and incidents objectively. I might have previously dismissed the 2008 crisis as something I didn’t need to worry about because I was still a little child when it occurred, or I might have simply dismissed Parable of the Sower as a nice dystopian book. However, I can see how they relate to more general concepts like community, inequality, and even climate change. I can also see how these teachings are about preparing for the future rather than merely the past. Laurens belief in change, for instance, caused me to reflect on how I handled difficulties. Do I embrace change or do I fight it? Everyone should in my opinion ask themselves those questions, particularly when facing issues like climate change or even more minor personal challenges. The way that Earthseed promotes flexibility in the face of change is another key part of laurens concept that has stayed with me. Similar concepts can be found today in movements like community building initiatives in the wake of disasters. Real world communities work together to overcome difficult obstacles and adjust to their surroundings, much like Laurens community in the Parable of the Sower. There is something potent about these communities’ ability to adapt and go forward whether it is through organizations fighting climate change or individuals joining together following natural disasters. When we consister how we must get ready for unforeseen changes in our environment or economy, Laurens saying that “God is Change” appears even more appropriate.
I didn’t expect that Parable of the Sower would have such a lasting impact on me at the beginning of the semester. I just got the book and put it under my bookshelf until I needed it in class. While knowing the events of the 2008 crisis, and then reading Parable of the Sower it developed a sense of significance and felt very genuine as I read it. They demonstrated to me the vulnerability of systems and the necessity of individuals depending on one another in times of crisis. They also served as a reminder that there is always hope, whether it be via Earthseed, helping one another out, or simply not giving up. Looking back, I realized this semester has taught me that thinking back on what I’ve learned is more about than just comprehending the past. It’s about seeing how those teachings shape my perspective and prepares me for whatever happens next. I’m confident that these concepts will stay with me whether I’m writing essays like this or just talking to people. Who knows? Perhaps telling my story will inspire a different perspective in others.