Limited Capacity
Over two years ago, I inquired about the Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives (DLGP) program at Portland Seminary. I loved the program, but I was concerned I would not meet the requirements of having a relevant master’s degree. During my application interview, I was assured that my leadership and ministry experience qualified me for the program, even with prior degrees in nursing. I knew I would not be a “typical” student in the program, but, as a rule, I do not mind being different. My science background has not negatively affected my studies –until this week. Polanyi! I now understand my patients when they ask me to “translate” medical terminology. When someone talks to you in English but uses vocabulary in a way you cannot understand, feelings of frustration, inadequacy, and even doubting one’s intelligence cloud any sense of comprehension one may have otherwise had. This was my experience as I wrestled through Karl Polanyi’s The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time. The book was full of vocabulary and concepts I struggled to understand. Reviews and critiques I read about the book were perhaps more incomprehensible to my non-economic linguistic skills. I looked up terms; just because you find a definition does not mean you know what it means. I used artificial intelligence (AI). I think AI was as confused as me. I tapped into the human resources and experts I know, which, not surprisingly, are few as many of my colleagues and friends are also in the medical field. In a final attempt to understand this alien world of economics, I tried to find a “Polanyi for Dummies” edition. The closest I found was a blog from a student last year in the DLGP. I know her. She, too, works in health care and appeared almost as befuddled as me in this subject.[1] This was the fuel I needed to keep going. I was not alone in my struggle! Jana managed to write a blog; I can, too. Here is my attempt at a simple summary of Polanyi and what I learned through my journey in wrestling with his book.
Karl Polanyi was a Jewish-Hungarian economic anthropologist. His book The Great Transformation was first published in 1944. Polanyi addresses the economic history of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the rise of the self-regulating market (SRM), and the social effects of this change. The Great Transformation is a historical view of Western economic and social history.[2] Many of the reviews I read commented on the direct correlation and application The Great Transformation has for today. One review states, “The social pathologies that we witness – social inequality, geopolitical volatility, virulent nationalism and conspiracy fantasies – are all reminiscent of processes that [Polanyi] analysed in The Great Transformation.”[3] Within these “social pathologies” Polanyi also recognized the importance that Christianity had on society and economics through the Christian emphasis of the dignity and importance of each person unified under the Creator.[4] Dr. Jason Clark nicely summarizes Polanyi’s perspective on Christianity, “Christianity for Polanyi was important because of its ability to unify individuality with sociality. For Polanyi, it was not any Christian reality that was important, rather, what was crucial was how Christianity dealt with eschatological questions, and the connectedness of individuals to ethical communities.”[5]
I appreciate that Polanyi recognized the importance of relationships and community, especially for Christians. History is important. Economics and money are imperative to society. However, the Bible encourages us to put our love for others as our priority.[6] I spent hours struggling with this blog. After countless reviews, searches, and conversations, I hit a wall. I knew if I kept going on this unproductive trajectory, I was sacrificing time and energy that I should, could, and would prefer to use in living out my calling and relationships. According to David Rock in Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, the mental energy I was using up is not unlimited and must be prioritized.[7] I need to prioritize my energy for the people in my life.
With that said, I am ending this blog. A good leader knows her limits.[8] I have reached my threshold of energy, mental capacity, and time that I am willing to take away from relationships to write. Perhaps one day, economics will not send me into a mental tizzy like it did today. I take hope from Shane Parrish’s words, “Exceptional people know they can’t change the hand they’ve been dealt, and don’t waste time wishing for a better one. They focus instead on how they’re going to play the cards they have to achieve the best result.” I am off to invest in those around me, still searching for the hope, community, and connection Christ offers.
[1] Jana Dluehosh, “The Balcony View for Dummies,” Doctor of Leadership in Global Perspectives: Crafting Ministry in an Interconnected World (blog), accessed October 24, 2024, https://blogs.georgefox.edu/dlgp/the-balcony-view-for-dummies/.
[2] Anne Mayhew, “The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time – Review Essay,” Economic History Association, 2023, https://eh.net/book_reviews/the-great-transformation-the-political-and-economic-origins-of-our-time/.
[3] Gareth Dale, “The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi Is a Classic Critique of Capitalism – but It Wasn’t an Overnight Success,” The Conversation, June 26, 2024, http://theconversation.com/the-great-transformation-by-karl-polanyi-is-a-classic-critique-of-capitalism-but-it-wasnt-an-overnight-success-227727.
[4] Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation: The Political and Economic Origins of Our Time, 2nd Beacon Paperback ed (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2001), 268.
[5] Jason Paul Clark, “Evangelicalism and Capitalism: A Reparative Account and Diagnosis of Pathogeneses in the Relationship,” F Aculty Publications – Portland Seminary, no. 132 (2018), https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/gfes/132, 139.
[6] See 1 Peter 4:8, 1 Thessalonians 3:12, John 15:13
[7] David Rock, Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, Revised Kindle Edition (New York, NY: Harper Business, 2020), 11.
[8] Shane Parrish, Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments in Extraordinary Results, Kindle Ed. (New York, NY: Penguin Random House LLC, 2023), 58.
About the Author
Kari
Kari is a passionate follower of Jesus. Her journey with Him currently has her living in the Sahara in North Africa. With over a decade of experience as a family nurse practitioner and living cross-culturally, she enjoys being a champion for others. She combines her cross-cultural experience, her health care profession, and her skills in coaching to encourage holistic health and growth. She desires to see each person she encounters walk in fullness of joy, fulfilling their God-designed purpose. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12 ESV14 responses to “Limited Capacity”
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Kari,
I appreciate your science background, I keep forgetting about that. I love the sciences and wish I had pursued that discipline a little more, especially neuropsychology. I also appreciate your struggles with Polanyi and possibly Clark too (you don’t have to admit to that). Given your struggles I will not burden you with a deep philosophical question about Polanyi’s book. Hopefully, this is a fairly easy question. Polanyi talked about how land, labor (people) and money were turned into commodities. Given the context where you live and serve, have you seen evidence of this today?
Hi Jeff, Thanks for the gentle question. I did resonate with the sections of Polanyi’s books that addressed international trade, especially those related to colonialism. In Chapter 14, “Market and Man,” he addresses the issues of commodification and the need to destroy the “traditional” social systems in the countries colonized by the West. In RIM, I still see this tension of a former colonized country trying to set up economics and government like its Western donors. However, there are still deep roots of the traditional community-focused society. For example, my little neighborhood has a complex system (of which I know very little) of distributing leftovers to the neighbors most in need. However, on a large scale, most fishing rights have been bought by China, and gold and iron mining rights have been purchased by foreign companies along with the natural gas and oil reserves. Sadly, the money made from these trades is not equally invested in the country’s development. Tradesmen are often paid “as needed,” and manual labor is generally cheap.
Hi Kari,
I appreciate your post and your authentic response to the assignment. I struggled with this text too – all along experiencing the absence of benefit, besides awareness – Polanyi’s book brings a wealth of history and information about market economies during the industrial revolution and self-regulating market (SRM).
Thank you for your kind words, Shela. Yes, it was a hard reading for personal application!
Kari,
I am rolling on the floor laughing as I read this. Mic drop. I tap out! This was a very hard read and as I shared with our group I struggled to stay awake for this one even in the middle of the day with a cup of coffee by my side.
I found the terminology hard but at the same time I have learned that I am a bit more familiar with some of the terminology than I was before. As I read through a book on Revelation this morning by Scot McKnight he has a short section that he references Adam Smith and the capitalist systems at work and I immediately understood it in terms of the broad different perspectives offered by Polanyi and Clark. Do you think that you might gain a bit more familiarity with the subject as time marches on and you see it in more places?
Adam, I’m so glad you got a good laugh out of it. I cried at first, but then I could laugh and move on. It didn’t help that this reading was the same week as my African multi-lingual workshop, a heat wave, and an insect infestation. Once the stress of writing the blog was behind me, I found things began to clarify.
Yes, I do think I will grow in understanding in this area. As I read other blogs, I can already start to piece some concepts together. Monday’s chat should be helpful as it is more of an experiential learning experience, not just me trying to figure it out alone.
Hi Kari, Reading your blog felt like you were reading my mind. It was hard, which is why I spent time defining parts of it to bring some order to the depth of it. Thank you for sharing and your honesty. No question today, just a word of appreciation.
Thank you, Diane! After writing the blog, it did seem like I had a lot more clarity.
Kari, I echo what has already been said. I realized where you were heading (or not heading) when I got to “Here is my attempt at a simple summary of Polanyi and what I learned through my journey in wrestling with his book.” I chuckled when you explained what you did to try to understand it. 🙂
Confession: I too used AI (after only getting about 25 pages in) as well as a few other sources, to save time by helping me anticipate and understand the key concepts BEFORE reading any further. Then I was able to return to the text and glean something useful.
I appreciate that you spent the time necessary to evaluate how much MORE time you’d need to apply to gain true understanding, and then decided that this time, you’d done enough. Good call. 🙂 I hope all that other stuff going on this week got the attention it also needed. God bless. And thanks for your persistence and honesty!
Debbie, I am so glad I was not alone in this struggle! Thank you for your kind words and encouragement. On Saturday, I had a successful multi-lingual design workshop with mostly Africans attending. I felt prepared with a healthy amount of stress.
As an added bonus, economics seems to be this week’s theme. It keeps showing up in unexpected places! Thus, the topics are also becoming clearer.
Hi Kari, I think you’re selling yourself a bit short. You seem to have understood the general concepts and wrote well on it. You’re a great leader and definitely belong in this program!
Do you think you’ll go back and revist Polanyi at any point?
Thank you, Christy! You are very kind. It is good for me to feel uncomfortable at times, like in economics. I had not planned to revisit Polanyi, but it seems like he is revisiting me, so yes, I may for more understanding! I can’t seem to get away from these concepts—the free market came up in a book about SABBATH, of all topics! It is actually helping me make sense of the concepts, especially in my own context.
Thank you, Kari, for your posts. This reading is bit difficult for me. I am not sure why; it started earlier, but kind think of what to write about. After reading your post, I was encouraged to just start writing and not to worry too much about it. Thank you for the encouragements in your posts.
Hi Noel, I am glad I could be an encouragement to you. Yes, sometimes we just need to start writing! I often get stuck in the “how do I…” rather than just say, “I will…”