What allows us to wring our hands over poverty ?
Why do we submit to the desires of a few unduly powerful men ? Yes, they usually are men which in itself may say something.
Why do we allow these never to be satisfied greedy few - the international business and finance tycoons, the politicians of every ilk and the media - to stop us building a community where we share responsibility, resources, pleasure and suffering more equally ?
Are we the cowardly toadies who accept having just enough as the price for keeping us quiet about the dismally poor existence of so many of our fellow human beings?
If we are, do we want to do anything about it ?
"Wha will fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a slave?
Let him turn and flee" *
In truth we are the ones who are base for we make slaves of ourselves by taking the hush money - that meagre dross - which is sufficient to turn us on to another road and distance ourselves from those who, through accident of birth, and through our denial, are so poor that they have no choice but to scrape out - inevitably unsuccessfully - a miserable existence while all kinds of rich men's battles make their lives not cheap, but, as it seems we are accepting, worthless.
*From the anthem Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled by Robert Burns
In truth we are the ones who are base for we make slaves of ourselves by taking the hush money - that meagre dross - which is sufficient to turn us on to another road and distance ourselves from those who, through accident of birth, and through our denial, are so poor that they have no choice but to scrape out - inevitably unsuccessfully - a miserable existence while all kinds of rich men's battles make their lives not cheap, but, as it seems we are accepting, worthless.
*From the anthem Scots wha hae wi' Wallace bled by Robert Burns
No comments:
Post a Comment