It’s easy for some to hate their neighbors. “They’re parasites, living off the rest of us.”
Those thought to be “parasites” have a different take. “Those rich people are keeping me from what I need and want.”
Such thoughts are the work of the virus, striving to corrupt us human programs with hate and envy.
When we look around, we see several billion people. Each of us is a free will program. We have been lovingly downloaded in The Creation Program by The Loving Programmer in His image. We have some of His abilities, watered down considerably.
We each need a couple of pounds of food a day, water, and the ability to maintain health and warmth.
There are tens of thousands of food varieties from tofu to caviar. Clothing ranges from cotton to silk and mink. In wealthier nations, people need washing machines, dryers, bikes, toys, furniture, TVs, computers, cupboards, doorknobs, and many of the 120,000 items that a Wal-Mart store carries.
People like to have vehicles. They range from tiny motorbikes to Rolls Royce. They require millions of different parts. So do our living spaces. They range from the 60 sq. feet in many jail cells and cloisters, to the carpeted, tiled, and parqueted acres of ego-maniacs’ mega-mansions.
When we consider all the human products for all the human needs, we see that needs would not be so great except for this: Nearly all of us can be made to feel we need more and better.
In wealthy nations, automated production makes things cheaper. A hand-carved chair, produced by antiquated methods, may cost ten thousand dollars. A one-piece, plastic stacking chair may cost five. Even people on welfare have more than whole nations can dream of having. Still, few are happy, largely because they are urged to demand, “More, in the name of fairness! More, in the name of equality! More, because I am entitled!”
Within the raging war for more, there are tiny islands of sanity. Many Roman Catholic sisters, brothers, priests, and monks take vows of poverty. They focus their lives on Jesus, living as He did. He lived and died to save us from the drive for status and material things that separate us from Him. What do they have? More or less.
We do well to heed their example. And, His.
