As I was watching myself washing my hands one more time I thought about the conclusion of my book « Can finance save the world »: « humanity has the multiple hands of the Hindu God Shiva: his hand is the invisible hand of the market ...his hand is the hand wielding the justice of the state ... his hand is also the outstretched hand of solidarity and charity .... let us serve as all of these hands!... ».
At the same time all these hands are under stress and not just because we keep washing them.
The invisible hand is becoming more visible. The baker dear to Adam Smith and its colleagues are under pressure. Rust is gaining.
The hand of justice is challenged daily by the growing number who don’t trust the system to do the right thing.
And while many hands are still given and offered some become tired. And containment does not help.
Never forget also the lesson from Charles Peguy : those who want to keep their hands clean end up having no hands. Now is the time to take responsibility.
Let’s make sure our hands find their way back together. And let’s make sure once this is over - and some day it will - we will join our hands and build the human cathedral Rodin so amazingly offered us as horizon.
