Avarice
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In the United States the CEOs of corporations that do harmful things such as making soft drinks and promoting them in schools are paid multiples of what teachers, scientists, and even Nobel Laureates get. Why are they not seen for what they are, individuals who harm others to make money? To me this sounds like murder, yet many people admire them for their money and position, while they give little esteem to those who collect their trash, a most useful and essential occupation.
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Isolation and arrogance of the wealthy
Several times when I was in grammar school I found myself being driven around by a chauffeur in an expensive car. I must confess it mad e me feel special, better than those other people I was out there on the streets. The very rich do not feel the pain of the poor. They separate themselves from the rest of us and confine their personal relationships to one another—the rest of us just don’t count. With their clubs, private schools, private jets, exclusive vacation spots, and all the rest, the wealthy stick with those who share their interests, concerns, and lifestyle. Their interests are largely money itself, the means for acquiring it, how to spend it, other wealthy people, and political support for their values. Their success in gaining power and money gives them self-assuredness, arrogance, and the expectation that others should kowtow to them. Because of their financial success, many of them are convinced that they themselves have the best understanding of the “real world,” and they ignore much of the knowledge and wisdom of those who know more, including what scientists say. Few scientists are rich, so they are not taken seriously.
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Those at the top often smugly take pride in humanity’s achievement, particularly by individuals like themselves, overlooking the fact that nearly all inventions and new ideas, as noted earlier, were the achievements of relatively few individuals. Left to tribal chieftains and CEO types, we would probably be living much as we were 15,000 years ago, with some of us hoarding more seashells and amber than others. These limited people with their money, power, and contacts have an influence on the rest of us and the world far beyond their numbers.
Their morals. Occasionally I receive a flyer in the fail from 20/20/20 a WonderWork charity program, telling me that one million of the blind around the world could have their eyesight restored through a $300 surgery. I find it hard to understand how some people can enjoy staying in a hotel room that costs $1000 a night or more while many children are left to lead a life of darkness, and others grow up mentally retarded for lack of an adequate diet as children. – Peter Seidel, Excerpt from Book; ‘THERE IS STILL TIME!’
empowerment & inner transformation... 