by S. Poulos
in his attempt to develop a serum for a particular disease. I ask you...who do you think would get the recognition from his fellow man, the boxer or the scientist?"
"The boxer, I presume," said the chairman.
"You presumed right and what do people get out of it, what does this man gain but an inflated ego? All this energy... what is going on behind all this? Promotions, representatives, reporters, newspapers, cleaners; the list is endless. Office workers, trainers, medical teams, thousands if not millions of people are watching. Watching what? Watching two human beings trying to knock each other's brains out. What a difference with the response to the man who is trying to improve things, to help his fellow men? I would say that man's superficiality has climbed the highest peak of the narcissism mound. What a difference, what a disgraceful behavior, in men's response towards someone with a noble cause!
"What I stated here, is a speck of an example of the happenings on Earth, of the wrong motivations, and wrong values. There are countless examples, if man was only willing to see."
"What are you suggesting then? We should leave our jobs and do what?"
"The time has come for man to revaluate his values. Each individual has to re-examine how he earns his living; ask himself whether his work benefits mankind, and to act accordingly. If a man works in a factory producing cigarettes, his responsibility is not less than that of the chairman of the board, or of a major shareholder. In the laws of life, what matters is the personal responsibility. Anybody with common sense should realise the majority of man's activities on Earth are wrong."
"What is the right way to go about then?" The chairman persisted. "Is the right way to measure the progress of a country according to GDP; when according to you, the majority of man's activities on Earth are wrong?"
"That would be okay if man was a material being; but man is spiritual, although in his short time on Earth he is covered by material. His core is spiritual, and his destiny is spiritual, for he is destined to return to the sphere of origin as a conscious human being, or unconscious seed, as the way he started. Either way, he has to return to the sphere of origin which is spiritual.
"As for the economic situation on Earth, the whole structure is going to collapse like a pack of cards, for the whole economy in the world is mounted on legs of glass, and will collapse accordingly."
"You painted a gloomy picture about the economical world situation," said the chairman, "but you never mentioned the right way to go."
The Teacher responded in his steady way. "The right way to measure the progress of a country, and its people, is not the dry method of measuring the GDP. The right way is to de-consummate; man has become a consuming machine with frightful consequences. The right way is to decrease GDP, and at the same time to decrease consumption."
"And play more?"
"Yes."
"I like that," said the chairman.
"The gauge to measure the progress of a country is not by its GDP growth, but by measuring the happiness of its people. By that, I mean how fulfilled they are. That doesn't come by accumulating more material; in fact, the reason for dissatisfaction is the cause that drives man to this."
"So we should stop work, and start playing?"
"We should begin creating. When man creates, he is lost in a wonderland. Have you ever watched how absorbed a man is when he creates? I don't mean only artists at work but ordinary people at work when they doing it whole-heartedly. A gardener when he is absorbed in his garden, the satisfaction a shop keeper gets by providing good services, a wood worker when he creates something with his hands, and is so proud of it; these are all examples.
"If recognition comes and brings along material gains, so much the better, but that would be of secondary importance, for it came along as a result of doing something they liked."
"What should a man do?"
"Men should become little creators; that would check this craving of consummation which in result, will bring down the GDP figures. People would be happier. Man should also learn to appreciate small things, for this uncontrolled thirst for goods doesn't come without consequences. Every time a man consumes something, it is being drawn from somewhere, and that source is Earth. Every time we consume, we leave a scar on Earth, so much so, that with man's inconsiderate actions, Earth became a big sore, and it will take biblical proportions unless it is checked."
"So we can solve the economic problems by merely being creative?" asked the vice-chairman ironically, with lots of giggles from the crowd.
"No, but that would be a major step towards sustainability. So far, half of the world has lived beyond its means and the rest is undernourished. Sustainability. From now on this word will pop up more and more, for the inability of man to uphold nature, and the natural laws, will drive man to a dead end. From now on, the world man calls 'the developed one', will have to minimize, to cut down, and as I said to be more creative. Man has to go back to the basics in order to survive.
"A girl for instance, should be able to sew her own dress. That way she will be unique, and her clothing will bring up her personality and allow individuality to blossom, instead of following the fashion, with which obeys the marketing strategies of a conglomerate. She will no longer be the pawn of someone somewhere who thought up something, with the sole purpose of increasing his bank account."
"You are taking us years back, to the dark ages," objected the vice chairman. "Nevertheless, can you give us a glimpse of the rest of the family you envisage? How should they behave? How anachronistic are you?"
'Not everyone can be professors or scientists, so her brother, if he is good with his hands, should learn a trade or find something he would love to do, so he can earn his livelihood to the rest of his life. The mother would be at home to bake the bread, and generally to keep a warm happy home for the rest of the family. The father might grow perhaps the vegetables, or make a new family table in his workshop. In the bigger scale, the so-called developed countries should help the so-called undeveloped ones."
"You stated many times the importance of the individual and mass responsibility. By helping an individual or a state, aren't you encouraging them to become slack?"
"When I say to help them, I don't mean to give them stuff. I mean to give them the opportunity to help themselves. Everyone sometimes needs a helping hand from his fellow man, whether it is an encouraging word, a helping gesture, or whatever. In our case this is to teach them how to fish. To teach them, the know-how, so they can help themselves."
"What is your opinion about globalization? This movement of so-called internationalists?" was the next question. "They do not believe in borders, but say people should be able to travel and to stay wherever they wish, with no boundaries."
"This idea of a world with no borders sounds nice, even noble, but it is a seductive feeling, a delusion such as a drug," said the Teacher. "As time goes by, the addict feels lower and lower, and so will a country who has adopted such 'brilliant' ideas. This downfall won't come overnight, but it is certain. When it happens, those leaders who persuaded their countrymen with such ideas won't be there to witness it."
"The idea of someone abandoning his country is not new. Do you deny that it happened before in all man's history?"
"The idea of a man abandoning his country to live in another because he and his countrymen were not as advanced, resembles animals that forcefully occupy the lair of others because they were too lazy to build one for themselves. It is of the utmost importance for a man to attempt to improve the conditions prevailing in his own country. In order to do that, he may travel aboard, to see and learn new things, to educate himself in a foreign country, or just to quench his thirst for travelling. The sacred goal in the end would be going home to improve conditions in his country."
"Why is so important for man to spend the majority of his time in the place he was born?" asked someone. "Is there a specific reason for it? Can you elaborate?"
"It is not by accident where and when a man is born," explained the Teacher. "The whole
surroundings cooperate harmoniously to enhance the abilities of each man born in a particularly place, in order for him to flourish as a human being. Here, the so-called internationalists that promote the idea of an Earth without borders should know the importance of the variations of the species, whether in plants, animals, or man. This difference, this variation, makes the world interesting, colorful, and vibrant. Without it stagnation would follow much sooner. The spice of life is variations. Without variations the world would be like a giant bowl of soup; everything would dissolve into a big pot of pulp. Man should guard this difference as the core of his eyes."
"How should we go about it then?"
"We must encourage it by assisting countries to overcome their problems with macro development solutions, and not handouts as is the trend of our times. Above all, we must respect and encourage variations. Respect the people, respect the different costumes, and in general respect the difference, the variety.
"Here I want to mention the contradiction, the peculiarity of thinking, of the so-called internationalists. On the one hand they push for a world with no borders and on the other, oppose the new world order, and world government."
At this point, a clerk informed the chairman that the word was out about the hearing taking place in the hall. Some followers of the Teacher