mot juste

Equating dineros with happiness is a widespread notion but that doesn’t make it true. I say it’s simplistic. Money is a medium, a means to an end. We use it for groceries and branded items, on expensive toys, to pay for tuition and travel, dining out and utilities. While giving clout and capital, worshipping dollars is unwise. We are passing through and shouldn’t hoard funds. Robust health, peace of mind, and utilising time thoughtfully are far more important and fulfilling. All the world’s money can’t buy genuine happiness or contentment.

Heaven’s tax

People who adore wealth dumbfound me. Your billions won’t get you closer to heaven. I believe in the afterlife and golden rule. Evildoers will be held accountable, before as tomorrow. There is no hiding in the future and they will cower in fear.

The Bible says wise things about ill-gotten wealth.

‘Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him. He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.”

Take for instance Pablo Escobar. He ruined countless life for his billions. When he perished, did he bring his fortune to the next world?

Another two quotes, this time both from Proverbs: ‘Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death.’

‘Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.’

The Truth

In Rush Hour 2, the villain avers that ‘Greed will imprison us all’.

Being a thief himself, he is sent to kingdom come after uttering those words.

Sound advice. Another useful remark from Jesus: ‘And you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free’.

More from the Bible boy:

Proverbs 12:19 ‘The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.’

Luke 8:17 ‘For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all’

See? In Netflix’s Nemesis, Isaiah Stiles loses everything as his mortal enemy frames him. No one believes him and he’s being pegged as a murderer. In time, the tables are turned and the real villain revealed. It may take time and won’t unfold in too soon. Justice may not always prevail, but God has great plans for us.

I’ve known souls who died the hard way. They didn’t treat me well. We have a limited amount of days, so we better use them benevolently and prudently.

Money can’t buy you happiness

Having money is nice, a buffer in trying times. You can buy your desires and sway people. You can go anywhere in the world without worrying about the cost. You can live in an exclusive nieghbourhood and secure courtside seats to the NBA Finals. Wine and dine in the glitziest restaurants. Buy the swankiest cars, jets, and yachts.

However, all good things come to an end. Designer clothes won’t stay fashionable. The neighbourhood crumbles like a Michael Bay scene. The NBA Finals features new cabrons next year. Restaurants will be boarded up when the novelty evaporates. The value of cars, jets, and yachts will depreciate.

As I said, these are worldly things and mindless distractions. Replaceable, like humans. So don’t worry about tomorrow’s purchases. Protect and nurture today’s blessings. People come and go, just as our finances have highs and lows. Do not grow attached to material possessions and sell your souls. They are appendages and tools. Life is not measured by houses or cars, ‘but the eternal word of God’.

Happiness ‘is in the eye of the beholder’

My interpretation is not definitive. Yours may be different. One thing is for certain: doing good will inspire far more joy than causing mayhem and counting dollars. Kindness and generosity makes someone’s day. Counting your posts around fuels your greed. People who worship money and cause trouble are never contented. Once they harm others, it’s a void that needs to be filled. Their lust for inflicting suffering is a thirst that needs to be slaked. Or chronic constipation without remedy. They can strain all they want on the toilet seat, but the cycle never ends. Hollow and empty vessels, I almost feel sorry for them.

Channelling Hogwarts

In the last Harry Potter book, Professor Dumbledore and Harry eye this fugly infant. Upon hearing him, Albus tells Harry that the creature was ‘beyond their help.’

Their talk occurred in the afterlife, with Harry’s near death experience. He regards the place as a very clean but deserted Kings Cross. Albus assures Harry that he’s not quite terminated. I can’t be certain if being fugly babies is the endgame for modern day death eaters. A serving of warm pumpkin juice won’t be waiting. Maybe dementors would torment them. Or they’ll be sucked into the apron. Perhaps they’ll deal with a Hungarian horntail and its flames. Or be perpetually murdered by a basilisk, just like Prometheus having his liver pecked each day. This was the cost of fleecing the gods and teleporting fire to humankind. Like Bill Murray in Groudhog Day. See also: Tom Cruise in Edge of Tomorrow.

In Dobby’s words

We will never know what awaits the wicked beyond this realm, but of decent people we can always guess. The town may not register their atrocities… but our omnipresent God does. Frankly, that’s more than enough.

Sharing and caring is a light in this bleak tunnel. People have long memories. Often they’ll remember the good you’ve done and the days of yore.

I end this post with two beatitudes learned in high school.

‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’

‘Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.’

At an anthropology elective, we studied inculturation. This implies the gradual acquisition of cultural traits by another race, nation, or ethnic group. Jovan, an excellent professor, showed us a clip where various nationals fight over this dish’s origin. Turks, Greeks, Kurds, Macedonians, and Cypriots vied for the honour. Cultural traits and idiosyncrasies are rigid and relative. So pliant are they that their genesis gets blurred. They become intertwined in time and tradition.

‘Tokyo Drift’

I met this atheist guy at a Christmas party. In Japan, the trains are never late or early. They arrive on the dot. He wished Sydney’s trains were as spot-on. You could turn up every day at the same time and expect the usual. He left out that those same trains in Tokyo are packed to the rafters. It’s a miracle that they can run on time with all those passengers. The children are very disciplined, unlike other countries. You need not tell them twice. Excellent listeners, they have impeccable manners.

He doesn’t get The Catcher in the Rye. Yes, it’s so famous and studied in schools but what was the point? Dead Russian writers are the world’s best. He mocked the Catholic Church and its beliefs. I wanted to contradict him, but he was in the zone. ‘Christmas is originally a pagan tradition, now embraced by Christians and atheists alike.’

All of the above

I’d like to see these in our country. Imagine all trains, buses, and the metro running like clockwork. No delays, limited track work, and zero cancellations. Whether in commute or weekend, you could count on Sydney Trains and buses to show up. A headache-free network and very proactive. One train mayhem won’t affect others.

If Japan can do it with much more commuters, then so can Sydney. We must gauge and learn HOW they operate and follow their lead. We don’t need to emulate other Western systems. We should go with the best.

Blanket revamps

Through the years, our public transport has overhauled its system. No more singe, return, and weekly tickets. Previously, I got the latter to save, since phased out. Enter the Opal card, the new normal for the state’s transport network. Fares are calculated by distance, with daily and weekly caps. Use your bank card to tap on and off.

While I appreciate the changes, toeing the system’s line is a hassle. I sometimes carry lots of stuff. Tapping on off seems daunting, with a small window and a queue behind you. Phone cases are RFID, meaning you’ll have to remove your Opal. Before, scanning to the reader was painless as my phone case wasn’t RFID. Those were the days. While technology safeguards our cards, things are more inconvenient.

The moth and the flame

Speaking of discipline, I recalled this news report. A kid treated the QVB balcony as his personal slide and fell to his death. It was like the moth and the fire. The mini moth disobeyed his parent, treading too close to the flame. It doomed him and sent him to kingdom come. That imp never listened to his elders, bringing him to his final destination.

My friends admitted that they were given tough love growing up. As the Bible says, ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child.’

I’ve discussed these sentiments in a prior post. If we could recreate Japan and have model kids, we would be developing tomorrow’s leaders. Success starts from within. We need skippers from the grassroots level. In order to cultivate the future, we must train them from the get-go. We shouldn’t wait for high school educators to tame these gung-ho operators. Mould our kids’ listening and reading. They must get limited screen time and more outdoors spells. Introducing them to sports is a good first step. As is embracing new languages. To be true torchbearers, we must inculcate the right attitude. Respect for elders. Being serious with both studies and other activities. Soaking new learning like a sponge. Taking up music and being proactive. Thinking on their feet. Becoming team players. Knowing technology’s pros and cons. Maintaining the right diet. Following their passion and mission.

‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’

Change isn’t overnight. Progress, is a step at a time. True advancement cannot be done in a snap. It must be earned gradually. You can’t return from Tokyo and expect the same from Sydney pronto. Seeing the difference, a concerted effort is required. As a movie poster once read, ‘The greatest battle comes from within’.