2 Jul 2004 @ 04:36, by NAMAKANDO NALIKANDO- SINYAMA
We should never ever attach material value to human life,each one of us is unique in our own special way with immense potential to construct and destroy(i recommend this as a good read:'The anatomy of human destructiveness'By Dr.Erich Fromm)
ALL IN MY PSYCHE NO.2
THE HUMAN ETHOS
BY NAMAKANDO NALIKANDO SINYAMA
“ We have too many men of science, too few men of GOD. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount…ours is a world of Nuclear Giants and Ethical Infants. We know more about WAR than we know about PEACE, more about killing than we know about living. Humanity is in danger of being trapped in this world by Moral Adolescence.”-General Omar N. Bradley, in his Armistice Day address.
It is common knowledge or I hope it is, that Humans have the power to decide their own destiny. It therefore goes without saying that the belief in FATE ( KisÂ’met in Arabic ) is in all reason and logic fallacious. Human beings are not ANDROIDS (Star Trek creations) or an army of robots living a life pre-programmed into microchips imbedded into our brains. If this were the case you will agree that that would make the concept of us having a free will (one of our greatest weapons against self destruction) seem a philosophical myth or a childish prank. I have noticed that in order to live fulfilling lives we have come up with general sets of values. I on the other hand IÂ’m of the opinion that in addition to these general rules of behaviour each one of us have either consciously or sub-consciously established personal ethics or codes of conduct. I today as I write challenge humanity to re-evaluate these rules and assess whether we are living better lives in the light of our set moral bench-marks, hall-marks or touch stones. I have through the years examined my life and that of others. I have come to a shocking discovery! So I felt i should write it down maybe posterity will understand me and be helped not to make a sodding mess of their lives on their world as we have. As for the revelation of the discovery, as the Scottish would say, Hang on to your Kilts then I!
I had to reach out into my inner self to fathom this concept. This you will no doubt appreciate called for a greater spiritual enlightenment with the depth of the Buddhist’s NIRVANA, which in Buddhism, “ is a state of mind in which individuality becomes extinct by being absorbed into the supreme spirit.”
The whole of human life revolves around the acquisition of money and power everything else comes about as by the way benefits. This you will be surprised even includes such coveted states of body and mind as Happiness. That is why I will forever maintain that contrary to common belief, ‘ the lack of money is the root of all evil.’ I have also concluded that it is we the poor people who evidently have never attained orpulence who propagate the notion that money does not bring about happiness or affluence as we have not the foggiest idea of what added benefits the possession of money has. When the filthy rich folks who obviously should know better,echo the notion , I have hypothesised that it is their way making the poor, be happy in their state of poverty. Pretty smart of them don’t you think? Thus avoid overcrowding their world of permanent bliss. Perhaps to put it more crudely, “ Happiness in the deferred fulfillment of a prehistoric wish. This is why wealth brings so little happiness. Money is NOT an infantile wish.!”
- Sigmund Freud (Psychoanalyst)
I think Happiness is an abstract metaphysical philosophical concept the presence of which is determined by ones state of mind.
So whether poor or rich one can choose to either be Happy or Miserable. Well, I hope IÂ’m making sense to myself, in the end I believe that is all that matters.
Money, paper money that is, to me is nothing but once plain sheets of paper cut in a rectangular shape and painted! It is actually that worthless if you seriously think about it as I have. This may be easy for me to and thus may be viewed as a naïve outlook on money because I don’t have enough of it to appreciate what it is capable of doing. TRUE! But it is surely the same paper; it is just the quantities we have of it that differ. In our world those that don’t have it are viewed as worthless pathetic freaks of natures creations and subsequently demoted to the level of sub-humans. Those that have enough of it are idolized, revered, venerated and welded on a pedestal. Tracy Chapman put it this way, “ Money is only paper, only ink, we’ll destroy ourselves if can’t agree.” To me the whole thing is such a big joke I laugh! The result is that our view of what is wrong or right is distorted, our values are eroding fast. Thankfully I still have mine in check though. Materialism is at its peak. People are no longer liked by virtue of them being, HUMAN, but now a lot of factors come into play. To illustrate:
1. What is he/She? No longer who is he /she (to me human should be enough reason to like someone)
2. How many zeroes does the figure in his account have?
3. Does he or she drive?
4. What type of clothes do they wear, designer clothes?
You know that kind of nonsense.
Life then is meaningless now. You are born; live for 80 years, and DIE, yes DIE. This typically epitomizes life, a harsh but true antithesis of a happy existence. I am depressed yes and disappointed in my race. Don’t worry I am not having suicidal tendencies I am not that dumb to do myself in. I don’t know about others but I have a lot to live for. Granted I have found life in general to be such a drag sometimes. It’s just my philosophical opinions energetically jostling for release. I end by saying, “In China you see, it is MAN who is the beast of burden. To be harassed by the wear and tear of life and to pass rapidly without the possibility of arresting one’s Course - is this not pitiful indeed? To labour without ceasing and then, without living to enjoy the fruit, worn out, to depart suddenly, one knows not whither-Is not this just cause for grief?”
-So wrote a CHINESE Mystic
NAMAKANDO NALIKANDO SINYAMA B.Sc Forestry
( L – 235 )
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