A tale used
to be told of a hyena. He was walking along a path when he caught the whiff of
delicious food being prepared somewhere in the distance. He decided to follow
the sweet smell to where the party was. Some distance ahead, the path forked
into two. Since he could not tell which branch of the path led to the food, he
decided to follow both. With his front and hind right legs, he followed the
right path. The front and hind left legs in the meanwhile followed the left
path. After a few steps of straddling, he split into two and died.
It is said
that as the hyena died, he was saying, “I will follow this smell so that I
either get food, or I get food!” He said this to avoid saying that he might not
get anything. This story was told to us many times as we were growing up so as
to keep us along the straight and narrow as far as the greed for food was
concerned. In today’s world, the hyena in the story would actually be a hero.
Gluttony
Gluttony is
the act or habit of eating or drinking too much. This is according to Webster
dictionary. All through the Bible, gluttony is referred to as a sin. In
Proverbs 23 verse 2, the Bible tells us to put knives to our throats if we are
given to gluttony.
Obesity
Until a few
months ago, I was obese. I was also a glutton which is actually the reason I
ended up obese. I know it is judgemental but nowadays, whenever I see a fat
person, I see someone suffering from the sin of gluttony. I thank God I have
slowly and painfully overcome it in myself. Seriously though, obesity has
reached endemic levels. It just shows that as a society we are not able to
control our appetites. We have become like medieval Kings who would vomit in
order to create room for more food.
Greed
I wish that
gluttony was the only vice we were trying to deal with. Unfortunately, it is
only one aspect of greed, which Wikipedia defines as the inordinate desire to
possess wealth, goods, or objects of abstract value with the intention to keep
it for one's self, far beyond the dictates of basic survival and comfort. Other
words used to describe greed are avarice, cupidity, or covetousness.
Devolution of Greed in Kenya
The long
awaited County Governments in Kenya have turned out to be greed havens. A
recent survey by the Auditor General revealed shocking truths about how greedy
our “Leaders” can get. Billions cannot be accounted for in Kisii County while
the Kisumu Government is paying millions for the “double” accommodation of its
Governor. Harbingers of greed were found in almost all of the 47 Counties.
Grand Corruption
When
corruption started being discussed, it usually meant some junior Government
official hiding a few hundred shillings in his hat to go and buy meat for his
children. Today when we talk of corruption, we are thinking of billions being
diverted from worthy causes leading to the collapse of entire corporations and
the opening of discreet Swiss accounts. It also means an individual or group of
individuals amassing enough money to run a Country for years and keeping it
knowing full well that neither they nor five generations of their descendants
will live long enough to spend the money.
Consumerism
The credit
crunch that almost brought the World economy to a halt was built around the
culture of consumerism. When people are enticed to buy houses or cars they can
ill afford, it becomes a recipe for desperation. The people who control money
want us to have the paper money while they hold the real wealth. The dollar,
which is the international currency, determines the quality of our lives. I was
shocked to learn that the Federal Reserve, which controls the dollar, is
privately owned by a small group of people who are prone to uncontrollable bouts
of greed.
Instability in Africa
I have never
heard of a war in Africa that was fought with traditional weapons. The warring
factions will always use foreign supplied weapons. I guess somebody somewhere
stands to gain a lot in the sale of guns and ammunition. That somebody can even
gain more by selling to both sides of the conflict. Better still, he can ensure
continued fighting by fanning the animosity that leads to the fighting. When
there are gems and minerals to be had, then it is virtually impossible to keep
away all the interested greedy financiers.
Street Tricksters
These are
commonly referred to as conmen. They pick their targets based on greed. If they
can convince you that you stand to gain more than you deserve, they have got
you and the rest is easy. Greed blinds us and we are unable to reason properly.
We only see the money, fame, or immediate gratification.
P.S. If most of our Leaders are
greedy, what does that make us (Voters)?
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