(This post was also published in The Ethiopian Herald, dated 10 05 2014)
It was during a scintillating show by magician Muthukad that my naked eyes witnessed a truly whimsical way of making money. Muthukad roamed among the audience showing a clear empty metal container. The emptiness of the same was certified by audience members who checked all its sides with huge care and attention. But at each snap of the magician’s finger, money fell into the container. Clang, clang... and in no time, the vessel was full of coins – all freshly plucked from thin air!! That’s the way of making money for a magician.
I have many times dreamed of a tree bearing not fruits and flowers but coins and currencies! But every time I wake up to that harsh reality: righteous and the easiest way of making money is not a magic, but hard, hard work. Hard work is the only switch to earn money for any human being of normal pursuit. By ‘normal pursuit’, I mean a pursuit that do not comprise smuggling or money laundering; or else selling violence or pledging dignity.
Money month
In Ethiopia, I consider July and August as money months since these are the beginning months of fiscal year. While in India, I used to perceive April as a money month. April marks the beginning of a fresh fiscal year. With more money in hand, your project can expect more allocations during April than in the magpie March. Every year, April also gift me two occasions of gaiety: Vishu or Bihu the Indian festival and Easter, a global one. 'Kaineettam' or 'Gift money' granted by elders to youngsters remains an integral attraction of Vishu celebration. During my childhood, once when I got a big one rupee coin as Vishu ‘kaineettam’, from one of my aunts, I gasped with huge wonder. For the first time, my aunt was expanding the value of ‘kaineettam’ for me – from usual fifty paise to big one rupee!! By granting that bonanza for me, my loving aunt truly stood with her name, ‘Vishaalam’ meaning broadminded.
Money and its religion
Karl Marx and Max Weber had made exciting observations on religion and money. To Marx, religion never brings a solution, but gives a hallucination that today’s agonies are for tomorrow’s wellbeing! To him, religion is akin to opium that never heals a wound, but just suppresses the pain. Marxism hence demands a thorough dismantling of the Capitalist system, where a minority amasses capital and wealth and a majority sells their labour for meagre wages. Marx has observed that though outward propaganda of all religions are for salvaging the deprived classes, no religion could put an end to the unbriddled flow of captalism.
I have many times dreamed of a tree bearing not fruits and flowers but coins and currencies! But every time I wake up to that harsh reality: righteous and the easiest way of making money is not a magic, but hard, hard work. Hard work is the only switch to earn money for any human being of normal pursuit. By ‘normal pursuit’, I mean a pursuit that do not comprise smuggling or money laundering; or else selling violence or pledging dignity.
Money month
In Ethiopia, I consider July and August as money months since these are the beginning months of fiscal year. While in India, I used to perceive April as a money month. April marks the beginning of a fresh fiscal year. With more money in hand, your project can expect more allocations during April than in the magpie March. Every year, April also gift me two occasions of gaiety: Vishu or Bihu the Indian festival and Easter, a global one. 'Kaineettam' or 'Gift money' granted by elders to youngsters remains an integral attraction of Vishu celebration. During my childhood, once when I got a big one rupee coin as Vishu ‘kaineettam’, from one of my aunts, I gasped with huge wonder. For the first time, my aunt was expanding the value of ‘kaineettam’ for me – from usual fifty paise to big one rupee!! By granting that bonanza for me, my loving aunt truly stood with her name, ‘Vishaalam’ meaning broadminded.
Money and its religion
Karl Marx and Max Weber had made exciting observations on religion and money. To Marx, religion never brings a solution, but gives a hallucination that today’s agonies are for tomorrow’s wellbeing! To him, religion is akin to opium that never heals a wound, but just suppresses the pain. Marxism hence demands a thorough dismantling of the Capitalist system, where a minority amasses capital and wealth and a majority sells their labour for meagre wages. Marx has observed that though outward propaganda of all religions are for salvaging the deprived classes, no religion could put an end to the unbriddled flow of captalism.
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| Karl Marx and Max Weber |
Max Weber, one of Marx’s next generation German counterparts, studied the relation between different religious faiths and thier inspiration for earning wealth. Hinduism which is considered as a religion as well as an ideology stipulates four 'Purusharths' or 'ultimate reality of one's life'. 'Dharm' (obeyance to social rules), 'Arth' (earning for one's living), 'Kam' (sex for making progenies) and 'Moksh' (eternal liberation) are the four 'Purusharths'. These are of course enough for triggering capitalist growth. Still, Weber found that during its ancient times, Hinduism lacked an ethical encouragement toward capitalism. Major limit was its caste system that glued people to certain occupational levels. It became ethically impossible to break it and earn as per one’s own ambition. 'Karma' philosophy underlined that today’s life is the result of past ‘karmas’ or actions. Hindus at large were hence turned passive towards earning wealth beyond one's need.
Traditional concept of ‘sib’ or community in China kept the land strongly attached to community. Private possessions and rational development of individuals became not a priority. Chinese religion Confucianism regarded social order as akin to an eternal and inevitable cosmic order, where individual attempts to capital amassment got little place.
European saga
‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ by Weber explains why commercial activities in many western European countries expanded along with the growth of Protestantism.
Calvinism, a major Protestant type demands its followers to devote their life for worldly asceticism, instead of spiritual deeds. Hence its followers started devoting for worldly work leading to worldly wealth. But their creed prohibited using the profit for any worldly pleasure; instead the individual should reinvest it for another worldly pursuit. Hence work and capital amassment became a pastime for them, leading to commercial boom in Europe, Weber explains.
But, Weber found that the Catholic doctrines refer ‘Calling’ as a divine dictate to devote one’s life for spiritual service for God. Hence in Catholicism, there is little priority for worldly means and amassment of wealth.
Ancient Judaism had a peculiar ethical dualism that on one hand favoured Western culture, but on the other, discouraged a rational economic conduct. Islam demands its followers sharing profit for the poor and never gathering interest proceeds.
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| Kali Ghat and Tirupati temples of India; Lalibela, Ethiopia |
Today, as man scales pinnacles of achievement, not only Gods are offered money, but also money creates more Gods. As surplus money mounts, human Gods and spiritual mediators arise forming many new religious cults. When Kali Ghat or Tirupati of India find middlemen mincing money from devotees for obtaining a 'darshan' (holy view), visitors at Lalibela in Ethiopia would pray if the entry fee was bit lesser.
Fruits of corruption
There is no scarcity for crusades against the evil of corruption. While first visiting Ambo University in Ethiopia, among the sights that caught my attention, was an impressive poster against corruption. A recent massive anti-corruption campaign by Anna Hazare in India proved a turning point in Indian politics. The ruling Congress lost its hold in the capital city of Delhi to a newly emerged political party named, 'Aam Aadmi Party'.
In India, there is a deluge of awareness campaigns, propaganda and news against this social cancer. Still, 'ministers, honourable' eat as much corruption fruits to become 'ministers vulnerable', with a few of them going behind the bars. May it be an impoverished country of Asia or Africa, or else an impressive one among the First World, corruption seems omnipotent. Or else, like death, corruption seems a social leveler. On the other side, places of worship shines with added brilliance of money.
- K.P. Sivakumar
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