Greed is the downfall of man

The collapse of Lehman Brothers was due to the intellectualized greed with a series of financial instruments used to justify the unjustifiable and create abundant personal gain in a shortest time possible. People just got more greedy and crazy in their endless obsession to squeeze every cent of profit that they ignored the perils of taking on too much risk. If any good will to come out of Lehman's downfall, it is a cautionary tale to the big players to be vigilant from making big bets on shaky investments. Didn’t anyone learn a thing or two from the collapse of Barings Bank in 1995 brought about solely by Nick Leeson?

This current financial crisis is by far the worst after the Great Depression in 1929 where thousands of investors lost large sums of money and many were wiped out and lost everything. The ensuing period was ranked as the longest and worst period of high unemployment and low business activities in modern times. Banks, businesses and factories were closed and millions of Americans were jobless, homeless and penniless. Many people have to depend on the government or charity to provide them with food. The Depression became a worldwide business slump of the 1930's that affected almost all nations. It led to a sharp decrease in world trade as each country tried to protect their own industries and products by raising tariffs on imported goods. There were changes in leadership and government. In Germany, poor economic conditions led to the rise to power of Adolf Hitler. The Japanese invaded China, developing industries and mines in Manchuria. Japan claimed this economic growth would relieve the depression. This militarism of the Germans and Japanese eventually led to World War II.

Greed is the most influential concepts of man. Nothing is enough, the constant need for more of whatever it may be, even when faced with the fact that we may never need that much of any one thing; we still seem to need more of it, just so that we can feel superior to everyone else. When Thaksin entered politics to promote his business interests, he succeeded spectacularly but the consequences of his hunger for money and power also proved his undoing and downfall. History has repeated itself one time too many. Greed primarily led to corruption and bribing that brings the downfall of man. At the end of the chain, there is only bloodshed and destruction on the issue of wealth. Man still fight for economic gains like natural resources etc. To acquire wealth, man will do anything – murder, bribe, loot, damage nature and ecosystems. Numerous lives are lost and destroyed. It brings out the devil in man. Hitler’s insatiability of power to prove the superiority of the Germans lead to mass killings of the Jews. Hence, inhuman behaviour is also the result of greed.

Downfalls are brought upon not so much as predetermined fates but ambitions to reach an unattainable goal and foolish choices. If greed becomes the foundation of mankind, are we looking at the possibility of World War III?????

Mutation of the selfish gene

A gene mutation is a permanent change in the DNA and mutations range from a single DNA base to a large segment of a chromosome. They can be inherited from parents or acquired during a person’s lifetime. The hereditary mutation is present throughout a person’s life in virtually every cell in the body. What is so special about genes? Well, the answer is that they are “replicators” that evolves by the disparity survival of replicating entities. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool so memes propagate themselves from brain to brain via a process called imitation. Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch phrases etc. If one hears or reads a good article or idea, he passed it on to his family and friends. If the idea catches on, it can be said to propagate itself, spreading from brain to brain.

It does not matter how the world comes about, what remains real is Dawkins’ theory on the selfish gene. Whether it is the evolution of the savanna effect or the disobedience of Adam and Eves, the selfish gene is certainly in all of us, either active or passive. As Buddha said, how can one get angry if there is no anger in him? Hence, if we do not have the selfish gene in us, then we will be extremely philanthropic and the universe will truly be a beautiful world. In the face of a crisis, our selfish gene will surface and becomes very dominant. Selfish genes have no foresight. They are unconscious and blind “replicators” waiting to be awaken. Nonetheless, we have the power to defy our selfish gene and the selfish memes of our indoctrination. We have the power not to nurture but to rebel against the tyranny of the selfish gene as our brain has the capacity for genuine and true altruism and the ability to exploit it to the fullest if only we want to.

Euthanasia and Advanced Medical Directive

Euthanasia is the intentional termination of a person’s life, usually but not always at that person’s request, and typically in the context of terminal illness and grave suffering. Arguments in favour of euthanasia revolve around matters of the patient’s autonomy, the quality of life, unnecessary suffering, maintaining the patient’s dignity in the dying process, use of medical equipments to prolong needless suffering, the legal implication and regulating procedures to provide quality assurance for current practice and responding to changing public and professional attitudes about euthanasia. Arguments against euthanasia rotate around respect for human life, the likelihood of coercing a person to request euthanasia, the possibility that the patient is not fully competent or informed about his/her prognosis, conflicts of interest, proper and effective procedures used, the possibility of diagnostic errors or related medical incompetence, spiritual beliefs in the sacredness of life and danger of embarking upon a ‘slippery slope’ once euthanasia is accepted as a viable option. Alas, even the Church has an "extraordinary clause"!

The subtle choice available is the Advanced Medical Directive whereby a person signed in advance to indicate that he/she does not wish to have any extraordinary life sustaining treatment to prolong life in the event if he/she is terminally ill and is comatose. Under the Act, AMD can only be executed when a patient is certified with a terminal illness, needing life support and not capable of making rational judegment. With AMD, a patient with terminal illness will receive only palliative care and medication.

Do AMD and euthanasia have much in common? Is it just a different way to end life - one legally and the other illegally?

Is the unexamined life worth living?

Socrates' bold statement that "The unexamined life is not worth living" has fascinated many. What is outstanding about him is that he called a spade a spade, he doesn't mince words. He doesn't say that the unexamined life is "less meaningful than it could be" or "one of many possible responses to human existence" just simply and clearly that it's not even worth living.

Why does he make such strong and unequivocal statement? Socrates believed that the purpose of human life is one of personal and spiritual growth. We are unable to grow beyond greater understanding of our true nature unless we take time to examine and reflect upon our life. Deeper contemplation yields understanding of our subconscious mind under the iceberg. Unless we are aware of our hidden nature, much of our life is unconscious repetition. It's a radical necessity to start contemplating on our life and to Socrates, that is what really matters.

"He who does not remember the past is condemned to repeat it." - Santayana

The selfish gene

We want to know how our universe exists and have come a long way from the mystical beginnings of the study of cosmology and the origins of the universe. Most hypotheses only led to more intriguing and complex questions. We have Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and the mythology that Adam and Eve were created by God to be the first humans and of course, the explosion from nothing… the Big Bang.

It does not matter to me how this world comes about but it saddens me that the selfish gene in man is setting its roots deeper and deeper into humanity and becoming one of savage competition, ruthless exploitation, deceit and survival of the fittest. Richard Dawkins’ book ‘The Selfish Gene’ touches every aspect of social lives, loving and hating, fighting and cooperating, giving and stealing, greed and generosity. Dawkins shows that the selfish gene is also the subtle gene. If society is one of universal ruthless selfishness, then it is certainly a very nasty society in which we live. Unfortunately, no matter how much we may deplore, it does not stop it from being true. Malignant self love is the norm of society. I scratch your back, you scratch mine. How sad indeed…..

The Catholic Church teaches social justice as a respond to the cause of problems and social charity as a respond of the effects of problems. Justice in the world developed by a Synod of Bishops in November 1971 signed by Pope Paul VI says that action for justice is a requirement of our faith and that action for justice must happen at all level. Social justice is respecting the transcendent dignity of man. Advocacy for social justice is to give a voice to those who have no voice. We are called to speak out, not chicken out!

Looking back, if God decrees it all, did He decree evil? Did He somehow allow evil to get its ugly hands on His beautiful world? Did He mean for evil to distort and destroy human lives? No Christian theology actually advocates evil but yet most Christians live with the notion ‘every man for himself’. We only need to remember the ecstatic “Sieg Heil” chanted as a ritual Hosanna to Hitler to know that many consented to the monstrous evils of the Nazi regime. Why??? In order to ensure their survival, they have no qualms to live an unauthentic life…. the very manifestation of the selfish genes.

Life is ambiguous. Has the Catholic Church with Her affluent, powerful and educated people become too self-centred and insensitive to other’s people’s plights? The survival of the fittest prevails among the elites. Without the grace of God, men would not know how to discern the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse. Only the practice of justice alone makes us capable of respecting others and their rights. How can we condone an appalling act just because we are beholden to certain people? We can’t hold hands with evil and rejoice with truth at the same time… that’s absolute antithesis. Truth is reality when it matches God’s purpose. Truth is a person whose acts and words blend to draw a profile of human life as God meant it to be lived. Can we call ourselves Christian if we live, acts and behave like a pagan? Can we truly answer to God and live with our guilty conscience for putting self before others? It’s time for us to look seriously at the ethic of reciprocity before we lost our basic fundamental moral value. It’s a sad, sad life, no doubt!

What does charity mean?

"When you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing". Matthew 6:3

When we hear the word "charity" we think of giving to the poor and needy. A love made visible as in service. But really, what does charity mean? It is pure joy of giving, which includes much more than material and monetary things…. keeping someone in prayers, a warm smile to strangers, an encouraging hug, an unexpected phone call, a thoughtful word of appreciation, fraternity with a person in grief, giving a listening ear…. what that is done not out of duty or responsibility but out of the abundance of love and compassion. The more you give, the more flows back in; that is the joy of love in action, the manifestation of charity. As long as you feel compelled to do something or give because it is your duty or because you want something in return, there is no love. As Abraham Lincoln said: "With malice towards none, with charity for all". Charity is not just a religious concept; it forms the basis for belief in democracy. Regardless of one belief in God or not, one believes in the intrinsic value of human beings and bases one's life and behaviour on that belief. The challenge remains for all of us… to give without expectation or reward. But alas, in this selfish and self-centred world, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. It’s a long way to being a gracious society especially when every individuals and organizations have a hidden agenda. Such is the ugly nature of mankind… the savanna effect.

Stress is a nightmare

Life without stress… no way… definitely not in today’s world. It creeps up behind you and follows you like a shadow and gnaws at you day and night. Complicated human behaviors and genetic make-ups paired with even more complicated environments play a huge role that makes us victim of stress. Only consolation is that we all have an optimum stress level and the right amount of stress can fuel energy level, creativity, productivity and performance. Anyway, better be stressed out than burnt out. I wonder... is a frugal simple lifestyle stress free?

How much is justice worth?

We get justice in the next world, in this world what we have are lawyers and liars. The real miscarriage of justice is when people are more interested in the rights of criminals than the rights of victims. To do justice is to correct the abuses and stop depriving others of their basic rights or failing to correct matters when those rights are not met. Injustice is either a sin of commission or omission. A court order is only a piece of useless paper if it is not enforced. The role of the court is to deal with injustice once it has already occurred. Unfortunately, liberal concept of justice does not always believe in the possibility of achieving democracy, justice, public good and other ideals through legislative and prescriptive actions. Such is too complex for simpleton human imagination, conception and execution. Procedures limit power to prevent trespassing that includes the rights to ensure the protection especially those of minors. As humanity is only effective as a group, the judgement of good or evil must be the recognition of what is good or bad for the community at large. But knowing which is which is a difficult task and can only be resolved by wisdom which is fundamentally lacking.