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Beyond Eternity 05
BEYOND ETERNITY ISSN 1203-5416
Episode 05 <--> April 1996
Sanjay Singh eternity@cyberspace.org
_______________________________________________________________
"... Of course I took this moment as light-heartedly as
a coronary, felt the deafening roar of silence inside me
when she said, 'Mister, you're sitting on my chair.'"
[2nu]
It's been a predictable month. Maybe that's good or maybe
that's bad. I haven't decided yet. Nothing new seems to be
happening, but two common themes keep on popping up, everywhere I
look.
Obsessions and economics are the two big patterns in my life
right now. Friends are obsessing over themselves (I don't mean
that in a bad way), over their problems, over their jobs, over
their future, over money. And that's where we get into economics.
Currently, we're sitting in a province wide public servant strike,
and when I think of strikers, I think of money... again, economics.
I've been talking to a friend for a while now about
obsessions. About how I've seemed to get obsessive about truth.
Maybe because I watch Homicide, maybe because I've been surrounded
by uncertainty for so long, I need to find some kind of stability,
and that comes from knowing what truth is... Maybe.
So, naturally, this issue revolves around those two topics.
Obsessions are interesting, but then again, economics aren't. I'm
just hoping that the combination will work out.
And before I begin. I found out who wrote last month's
article I called 'Flashback'. Credit goes to Leeanna Werner
[lewerner@indiana.edu]. I guess that's all that needs to be said
about that.
Now it's time to turn down the lights, turn up the music, and
see where the next bunch of pages will take us... . . . . .
Contents
========
- Introduction (you just read it)
- How Far Will I Go?
- A Simple Proposal
- You Envy... Me?
- The Spirituality Of Wealth [by Julian Barton]
- Administrivia
- Rules Of The Game
How Far Will I Go?
==================
"There are truths which one can only say after having won
the right to say them." [Jean Cocteau]
I've been having a long running conversation with a friend,
and recently the topic shifted to obsessions. No matter how often
and how much I manage to grow in between, whenever this one topic
appears, my part of the conversation always follows the same
pattern. And true to form, this time was no different.
I can't really remember how this conversation began, but I do
know that somewhere in the beginning we both agreed that having an
obsession was pretty bad. But the night after we decided that, it
hit me. I've been really obsessive about the truth lately. I
passed this off a non-issue because I could explain why I was
obsessing over it, and that fit perfectly with my other current
obsession -- being able to explain why I do things. (This I
actually recommend, obsessive or not, it's does bring a lot of
control back into your life.)
Anyways, this is where I hit the second phase of the
discussion. The revelation. I was speaking out, quite loudly if
I remember correctly, about the dangers of obsessive behaviour
while I was obsessing. "Do as I say, not as I do." No thanks.
That's the kind of garbage that got me screwed up in the first
place. This is where I really start to second guess myself.
Hypocrisy has a way of doing that to you.
And this is the phase where I normally camp out for a few
weeks. Ideas, concepts, arguments running through my mind. What's
right? What's wrong? If I say that obsessions aren't that bad,
then what? Doesn't that just open the door for fanaticism, and
other undesirables?
But what if I keep my stand? Obsessions are bad, but then
every time I bear down to focus on something, I'll be wondering in
the back of my mind... 'how far will I go?' I'll never really
chase after anything anymore... from fear of being obsessive. And
again, I'll be the jailor and captive combined.
I know, like with everything else, a line has to be drawn
somewhere. What's the difference between dedication and obsession?
But there are just so many lines all around me right now, that I
worry about waking up one morning and being tied down with all
these rules that I've imposed on myself.
That's where we come to the mother of all lines that need to
be drawn... How many is too many?
A Simple Proposal
=================
"So long as all the increased wealth which modern
progress brings goes but to build up great fortunes, to
increase luxury and make sharper the contrast between the
House of Have and the House of Want, progress is not real
and cannot be permanent." [Henry George]
Concept: Allan Baril
Inspiration: Jonathan Swift
[Incidentally, if you think the 'eat the rich' comment
has anything to do with Aerosmith, find a copy of Swift's
essay "A Modest Proposal."]
What's wrong with the world today? Why is there so much
tension? Why are so many people angry? Maybe it's because the
rich keep on getting richer, while the poor... well, they're just
forgotten. This just isn't right, is it?
So what's the solution? Class elimination? Redistribution of
wealth? Elect Robin Hood? None of these would work too well.
Deleting 'rich' and 'poor' from our collective dictionaries
wouldn't really change anything in the physical world. If we just
took away money from the wealthy, what would stop them from making
more? Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor would just
complicate things... the poor would become the rich, and then we'd
just have to do it all over again. It's far too messy, but I think
I've found a better solution.
What I propose is this. We just need to find a way to quietly
and quickly get rid of anyone with a lot of money. This would
lower the average income, and since there wouldn't be anyone that's
rich, there wouldn't really be anyone who's poor. So, in effect,
everyone would have almost the same amount (at least it would be a
lot closer than it is now).
So how could we do this? (Don't worry, I'm not going to
suggest that we eat them.) How can we make everyone equal again?
Well, the first thing we need to do is to raise taxes. Now, don't
be scared by this... We have nothing compared to those
capitalistic pigs, so our taxes should actually go down. So only
those with lots of money will actually have to pay more. And I'm
not suggesting a small tax hike either. I'm talking about making
it unbearable to have money. And the more you have, the more
you'll have to pay. This should have two effects. First, some of
the 'producers' and 'entrepreneurs' will flee (like the cowards
they are) once they realize that it's not profitable to make money.
Secondly, anyone who stays, won't have too much money left.
Problem solved? Almost.
Next, we need to ensure that this won't happen again.
Something needs to be done to ensure that everyone makes the same
amount of money. The problem here is that wages are impossible to
control in the private sector. So, the government will need to
'purchase' all privately owned companies. If the companies refuse
to sell themselves out, then the government can just create some
new laws to make owning a business very ... inconvenient. This
will be very easy to do. At this point, there won't be too many
private corporations in existence, so the existing anti-monopoly
laws can come into effect, and shut down private business for good.
The advantages of this scheme are pretty clear. But I'll just
take another moment of your time, to highlight some of them...
Firstly, no one would ever need to feel inadequate ever again.
Under the rule of the state, we could all be equals at last. No
exceptions. There would be no more "McJob" or menial labour, since
every job would guarantee equal pay.
Secondly, we won't see anymore unsightly beggars lining the
streets. At last, we will be able to welcome our unkempt brethren
with open arms into our society, as productive wage earners. Our
streets will once again be beautiful.
And finally, and perhaps most importantly, we'd finally be
free. There wouldn't be a need for censorship. Obscenity is a
product of individuality. Somebody has to stand out from the crowd
to be able to cast a stone. It just stands to reason, that if no
one stands out, no one gets hurt.
So at least we'll finally have our paradise. No more shame,
no more grime, and no one ever getting hurt again. Not much room
for imagination, but that's a small price to pay. It may be a
little quiet at times, but if you get bored, you're welcome to turn
on the television.
You Envy... Me?
===============
"You're suspicious of your suspicions? I'm jealous. I'm
so jealous. You still have the heart to have doubts."
[from Homicide: Life on the Streets]
I went home over the weekend. Nothing too special. You know,
take a break from school, visit some friends who didn't follow you
out of town when the school term started. Talk to the family
(always an interesting experience). Like I said nothing too
special. Well, at least Friday wasn't. Now Saturday was a
different story...
It seems that I'm the only member of my family that doesn't
like small talk. I like the idea that if you have nothing to say,
then don't say anything. But at Casa Singh, I seem to be in the
minority... too bad, I guess that's the price I pay for using their
washing machine.
So it's Saturday morning, and I'm standing in the kitchen,
hovering over a couple of slices of french toast that are being
grilled. My mother's at the table, staring at some spreadsheets,
or something. All of a sudden, she looks up and starts telling me
about this dilemma she's having at work.
It seems that one of her underlings came up to her during the
week and told her that he wasn't going to do any more work. That's
it. Nice and simple. He just wants to sit at his desk, and every
other week, someone will bring him a cheque. Oh, if only life was
that simple. My response to this was "so what happened after you
fired him?"
Personally, I didn't think that this was any great beacon of
knowledge. Hundreds of years from now, high school students aren't
going to be running around writing essays about whether I'm wittier
than Shakespeare or not. It's just a pretty obvious fact. At
least to me it was. She didn't like it.
"You can't do that. You have to go through H[uman]
R[esources] first."
"Ok, so what happened after HR fired him?"
"Their manager is on vacation until Monday, so I have to wait
until then."
"So when the HR manager is on vacation, nobody gets fired?"
"No, but it has to be a special case."
"Like someone telling you that they're not going to do their
job?" And that was where I caught her. She didn't have an answer
for that one. Well, she did, but the best she came up with was...
"There aren't many jobs out there, you can't just fire someone
like that."
And this is where I started ranting (not that you would know
what that's like). "The guy's a loser, get rid of him before he
brings your department down." "You're obligation is to the
company, not someone who doesn't want their job." "Why not open a
job for someone who doesn't have one, that's willing to work for
their pay-cheque?"
And she replied, "I envy you. Everything's so black and white
for you. You don't even care about how people feel. You have no
compassion."
That floored me. I had no response for that. Me, not care?
Me, no compassion? Like one day I just woke up, hit a switch and
became a machine. No emotions at all, no nothing. Just me and my
little black and white world. Where the line between right and
wrong, between truth and lies was always visible. This from my
mother. I was shocked. I think I was even a little hurt.
Of course, I was right. I knew that. I didn't care about
this guy because I didn't know him. He wasn't someone I talked to,
someone I tossed the ball around with on weekends. He was just
some guy that didn't want to do his job. Did he deserve any
compassion? No. I was just the only person in the room that was
able to make an objective decision. Feelings have nothing to do
with it. Friend or no friend, coworker or not, if you're going to
make an executive decision, you become an executive, and make the
decision. Friendship has nothing to do with it. It's just
business, that's all.
Maybe this search for the truth has gotten the best of me.
Maybe I'm so far into it, that I can't see out, and so everything
does appear black and white. What I do know is that I still care.
If I didn't care I wouldn't still be trying to help the people that
have helped me. I wouldn't be trying to give something back. I
wouldn't be writing Eternity anymore. I guess the real question
is, 'do I care as much as I used to?'
I don't even know why this is bothering me. I'm happier now
than I've been in a long time. But I don't know if it was worth
the price I paid. I don't know if it's better or not. I guess
even in my monochrome world, not everything is certain.
The Spirituality Of Wealth
==========================
"New and stirring ideas are belittled because if they are
not belittled the humiliating question arises, 'Why then
are you not taking part in them?'" [H.G.Wells]
by: Julian Barton [st9541c1@echidna.cowan.edu.au]
I'll admit that I probably don't hold exactly the same opinion
as you when it comes to money and possessions. I don't see it as
a choice between money or soul, between rich or real. To me, they
are separate, almost unrelated parts of a person. It is often said
that rich people are soulless; that poor people are spiritual. That
is sometimes true. However, I know of people who are rich and
deeply spiritual, and others who's poverty has offered them an
excuse (which they have accepted) to become twisted and bitter, and
consequently, far from spiritual. Carrying that on a step further,
accepting that it is no longer a choice between cash and character,
we get a better choice... Spirituality is something which is
inherently ours. That is not threatened by any other choices made,
so I'll have one of those, thanks. I can also take the stash too,
without sacrificing my inner self. So we'll have a dollop of
dough, too. It is a choice whether to be spiritual, and a separate
choice whether to be rich. I feel that this stereotypical view of
the rich as bad has three causes.
1. It's a hang-over from the biblical concept of the meek
inheriting the earth. So it becomes a choice between poverty for
60 years then eternal wealth or wealth for 60 then poverty. Not
surprising that they manage to sell the idea! Now, the truly
greedy ones subtract 60 from infinity, realize they'll be very rich
for a heck of a long time, and run out to torch their possessions.
2. When ever there's a choice between money and soul, people
have a good excuse not to work. They have a respectable reason for
not being rich, or part way there. Without this excuse, the poor
must mostly be the lazy -- if anyone can sell their abilities for
money, and they have no money, then they're either saying that they
have nothing to sell or cannot be bothered doing so. If they have
nothing to sell, why aren't they learning something? As it is,
rather than admit to that, they can cry "I'm spiritual" -- and
suddenly, not only are they no longer lazy or untalented, they
acquire a new level of respect for their martyrdom! They might
even be canonised! I'd rather they were shot for selfish
laziness... Slight overstatement in the bullet, but selfish is a
fair comment, else they could be like ...
John Kehoe. A classic example of a spiritual man rolling in
dough. As you may know, he's the author of several books on mind-
power. Several books which have sold well. So, as well as helping
people to empower themselves in life -- a mark of a spiritual
person -- he's loaded. But there's more. Back in the days when I
lived in Auckland, he was a regular visitor to the City of Sails.
On one particular visit, he heard of a privately run and funded
healing clinic or centre for someone or other. It was about to
close, lack of cash. There and then he wrote a cheque for
something like ten grand. Great! Cheque book diplomacy, he called
it. His wealth allows him to do such good works -- show me a
beggar who can do that!
3. The 'Tall Poppy Syndrome'
Something people have is a tendency to cut down people who are
too successful -- just watch the knives go for people like Alan
Bond when he stumbles. I feel that the root of this is, once more,
laziness. This Syndrome comes straight from ego and it's limits --
envy, limited thought, and laziness.
Envy is clear -- someone has more than them, owns possessions
they covet. Limited thought -- "There are a finite number of
things, every one that he has is one less that I can have."
Laziness, because these people show what can be achieved by those
who work. That threatens those who'd rather day-dream, wish, and
yearn. It says that if they stopped grumbling and started
grunting, they too could be up there... Which requires work.
It's partly fear, that if tested they could be found wanting.
While ever they are a spectator, they can never fall short. If
they try, they might not succeed. As it is they can hide behind,
"If I wanted to, I could..." right until they die. Pity that feels
so hollow.
There are a few other reasons not to be rich -- that you'd
rather spend time travelling, or with family etc. However, people
taking those choices have no right to criticize those who don't.
The problem with money, as I see it, is not with money itself.
The trouble comes when people miss the inner picture, concentrate
on the world of Mechanical Man, the surface world we're taught to
believe is truth. Then the only goals they can set are fiscal,
achievements often come at another's expense, and life is hollow.
These are those who you'd say have "lost the plot," or maybe, they
never knew there was a fairy tale unfolding around them. Money is
a great liberating force, it allows you to experience life, to
learn about reality, the great illusion called earth, people and
parachutes. We can use it to help others, via donations of money,
entry tickets to experiences, grants -- there are almost unlimited
ways to give money away; institutions like Anglicare, orphanages,
community groups, churches all use money. Rockefeller is remembered
as a philanthropist, setting up libraries. That took cash. A
penniless philanthropist is ineffective, at best. Mother Theresa is
a marketing phenomenon, raking in the dough for her poor people.
That money must come from somewhere. Rich people supporting the
arts -- the list of good works coming from money is longer than
people like to remember.
And the poor? How spiritual are the drunkards, addicts,
cynics...?
I know the concept of the person living a simple life,
blissful without possessions is common -- but how many people are
like that? I know of few who do not covet more. Most of the poor
people I have met yearn for greater wealth, rather than rejoice in
simplicity.
Money is almost completely unrelated to spirituality.
If I sound like I'm going on a bit, it's true. That is one of
my soapboxes. It gets on my nerves to hear supposedly spiritual
people saying how they are 'above' money somehow. Another point --
how can I be like "The Millionaire," in the Dr. Hook song of the
same name, if I lack the millions?
Administrivia...
================
Beyond Eternity (ISSN 1203-5416) is a monthly serial that is
written (for the most part) and compiled by Sanjay Singh, and then
edited by Paul Sheen and Sanjay Singh. It's not a perfect process,
but we come close.
You can find older (or even current) issues from any of these
places...
mail: eternity@cyberspace.org
web: http://www.interlog.com/~vash
ftp: ftp.etext.org: /pub/Zines/Eternity/
gopher: gopher.etext.org (follow the prompts)
usenet: alt.zines
subscriptions: Just send me mail, I'll add you to the list. All I
ask is that you let me know what you think about
"Beyond Eternity...", and you can even mention how
you found out about it. It's a small price to pay,
but that's all I ask for.
As always, if you have a question, comment, statement, rant,
or anything, feel free to let me know. (Who knows, you might even
feel better that you did it.) There's always room for me to
improve, and there's always room for outside contributions. When
I say that one person can make a difference, that includes you.
Rules Of The Game
=================
I take full responsibility of the overall content here. There
might be other writers but what goes into this is my choice.
Copyright is held by whoever wrote the article, and if it doesn't
say who they were, then it was me. I'd strongly suggest asking
them for permission before you reprint anything that was written in
here (this includes my stuff). Chances are that I won't object,
but I'd still like to know.
In past issues of The Eternity Articles, I was asked if what
I had written was true. I'll state this for the record now,
"everything I write is true to me". As for the other writers,
well, you'd have to ask them. As a general rule I'm not going to
print pure fiction anymore, unless I think that it has a message
that's worth relaying.
I think that's all that needs to be said. Talk to you next
month.
Sanjay Singh (3/30/96)
