- Buckle UP!
Monday, March 12, 2012
Wealth and Theft
A L O H A !
Clicking on the Photos is Encouraged
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| Sittin` by the dock of the Bay |
"The rich exist for the sake of the poor,
but the poor exist
for the salvation of the rich"
" -poverty serves us better than wealth,
especially since wealth becomes
an obstacle
even for those who do not devote themselves to it.
Yet, when we must put aside our wrath,
quench our envy,
soften our anger,
offer our prayers,
and show a disposition
which is reasonable,
mild, kindly, and loving,
how could poverty stand in our way?
"It is a better thing to feed the hungry
than to raise the dead"
St. John Chrysostom
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| Magic Island shows her magic in this shot by Ted Trimmer |
"Unless we look at a person
and see the beauty
there is in this person,
we can contribute nothing to him.
One does not help a person
by discerning what is wrong,
what is ugly,
what is distorted.
Christ looked at everyone he met,
at the prostitute,
at the thief,
and saw the beauty hidden there.
Perhaps it was distorted,
perhaps damaged,
but it was beauty none the less,
and what he did
was to call out this beauty."
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Back in the day, Saturday Night may have meant a gig on my flute
" For most people,
when they see someone in hunger,
chronic illness,
and the extremes of misfortune,
do not even allow him a good reputation
but judge his life by his troubles,
and think that he is surely in such misery
because of wickedness."
St. John Chrysostom
(+ 407 A.D) On Wealth and Poverty
I like to listen to the music in my head. You?
“The bread which you do not use
is the bread of the hungry;
the garment hanging in your wardrobe
is the garment of him who is naked;
the shoes that you do not wear
are the shoes of the one who is barefoot;
the money that you keep locked away
is the money of the poor;
the acts of charity
that you do not perform
are so many injustices
that you commit.”
St. Basil the Great
“- actually, it’s the upper-class people
that are less likely to see
that people around them need help —
and therefore act unethically.”
Scott Wiltermuth,
Social Status Researcher,
USC. Marshall School of Business
" Human beings have accumulated
in their coffers gold and silver,
clothes more sumptuous than useful,
diamonds and other objects
that are evidence of war and tyranny;
then a foolish arrogance hardens their hearts;
for their brothers in distress, no pity.
What utter blindness! . . .
Attend not to the law of the strong
but to the law of the Creator.
Help nature
to the best of your ability,
honor the freedom of creation,
protect your species from dishonor,
come to its aids in sickness,
rescue it from poverty ....
Seek to distinguish yourself from others
only in your generosity.
Be like gods to the poor,
imitating God's mercy.
Humanity has nothing so much in common
with God
as the ability to do good. "
St. Gregory Nazianzen
(On Love of the Poor, cited on pp 295-6 of Clement's book)
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A recent study at the University of Minnesota
found that wealthy individuals
are more likely to
behave unethically, take candy intended
for children,
steal.
In one of the experiments
drivers of more expensive cars
were more likely
to cut off other cars.
and refuse to wait
for pedestrians.
"The wealthy break rules,
not because they are desperate,
but because the feel
entitled
and want to get ahead."
Said Vladas Griskevicius, PhD
Such individuals were found
to have less empathy,
and are less likely
to perceive the impact
of their behavior
on others.
Study Author Paul Piff, PhD
discovered that when low-income individuals
were asked to imagine themselves
rich,
they subsequently behaved
as badly as
real rich people.
This explains a lot
to me
about our politics.
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Warmly, cloudia
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of the candle
will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases
by being shared.”
Buddha