September,
2008
It’s been
awhile since
I last
posted the
first
“Musing in
Troubled
Times”. I
asked myself
why I waited
so long.
What came to
mind was the
concern that
my saying
what I truly
think can,
sometimes,
ruffle many
feathers.
Some of us
do easily
lose their
sense of
humor
nowadays.
One
character in
the movie
“Lord of the
Rings” I
truly
enjoyed
watching,
was Pippin.
He was so
content with
life; eating
two
breakfasts,
smoking
tobacco,
drinking
beer in the
pub and he
went on
living Life,
until one
day… He
found that
his cousin,
Frodo, was
on his way
out on a
secret
mission to
destroy the
“Ring of
Power” - a
cursed ring
that had
created
havoc
between
elves,
dwarves and
humans
alike. The
humans, more
susceptible
to material
greed than
the other
two races,
suffered the
most over
the
temptation
to dominate
the whole
world – the
energy the
Ring of
Power held.
In human
thinking,
whoever owns
the Ring of
Power shall
gain power
and dominate
mankind.
So, what
we’re saying
here is that
there has
always been
class envy.
“How come he
has more
than I have”
or “Why
can’t I have
part of what
he has since
he has so
much?” And,
the media
makes sure
that these
messages are
kept
repeated.
“The
corporations
are evil,
they make a
lot of
money, they
should share
them with
the
less-fortunate.”
I do not own
a
corporation
but perhaps
we should
also ask
questions
such as,
“How much
work and
effort have
the
owners put
into those
corporations
or, how many
people have
they
employed so
these people
can afford
their wants
and needs
or, how do
people earn
money if
there are no
businesses
to hire
them? Ahh…
they can
always start
their own
business.
Amazing!!
It’s a cycle
and the
majority of
us seem to
forget
that.
Desiring
for “the
more the
better”
always plays
a big role
in people’s
discontent
in life. So,
let’s see…
Who are
playing this
role? All of
us, it’s
human
nature. But,
the “smart,
big guys” in
politics,
the ones who
hunger for
Fame and
Power do
this
role-playing
magnificently.
I think we
have heard
enough about
this on TV,
on the
Internet and
so forth –
the ones
involved in
the Fannie
Mae, the
Freddie Mac,
the AIG,
etc. But, we
“little
guys” have
our share of
the big “G”
as well,
only in a
lesser
degree. No,
I am not
talking
about the
ONE looking
over us. In
the case of
“little
guys” like
me, it is
more like
…“Why should
I have to
work when
the
government
can take
care of me?
Ooops! And,
how does the
government
make money?
From the
businesses
and the
people who
are working
and paying
taxes!!
Simple.
Life in the
Shire of the
hobbits like
Frodo and
Pippin’s was
once
peaceful,
full of joy
and innocent
of material
desires.
They lived
simply,
contented
with their
lives until
Bilbo
Baggins,
Frodo’s
uncle,
returned
from a
journey
where he was
paid
handsomely
on services
rendered.
The other
villagers
started to
classify
themselves
as “having
less” and
started
suspecting
Bilbo of ill
doings.
As the
story goes,
Bilbo had to
leave behind
everything
he owned,
including
the Ring of
Power, as he
saw from the
villagers’
unrest in
their
constant
desire to
obtain a
part of
anything
Bilbo owned.
He had to
leave his
favorite
nephew,
Frodo and
his beloved
Shire to
find peace
and serenity
in the Elvin
World. Now,
can we,
humans do
the same?
Fame and
Power - two
of the
greatest
human
desires that
challenge
humanity to
learn how to
manage, in
order to
live a life
of Becoming
… to be
continued…
