The world is not enough
Robert and Edward Skidelsky, in their book, How Much is Enough? hold the view that wealth is not an end in itself but a means to the achievement and maintenance of a “good life”.
Observing the unfolding IPL spot-fixing scandal, and so many other scams being reported nearly every day, the Skidelskys’ thesis does not seem to hold water. The world of scams appears horrible to persons not involved in them. And for those of us who have no access to the booty from those swindles, the question that pops up is: “What will they do with so much money?” followed by the corollary, “How much is really enough?”
All kinds of explanations are proffered to explain why more than enough to lead a “good life”, as the Skidelskys propound, is not really enough. The more some people have, the more they want and will go to any extent, match-fixing being only one of them, to get more. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There is enough in the world for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed.”
At the root of all frauds, big and small, is the greed of individuals who never seem to have enough. According to the traditional list of seven deadly sins in Christianity, “greed” is placed at number two after “pride”, followed by anger, envy, gluttony, lust and sloth. Even in the list of “seven sins for the 21st century”, released in 2008 by the Vatican theologians, “obscene riches” finds a place.
Greed is sometimes explained away as the basic human need to survive or to excel in comparison with others. And that is where the pitfalls lie. Does one want to excel in life using ethical means? Or does one just give in to
the instinct of “survival” at any cost?
Knowing the human nature and one’s desire for accumulating wealth, Jesus once reminded his listeners, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God” (Mark 10: 25). Again, while warning his disciples about “greed”, Jesus taught them not to identify life with personal assets saying, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke, 12:15). Reiterating his master’s stand, the apostle Paul exhorts, “…nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (I Corinthians
6: 10).
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