Immaterial

“Why don’t you buy a car for yourself?” gesticulated the acquaintance who reeks with fake perfume and skewed fashion sense so loud it makes her look like a perfect fashion victim. She ranted on the beauty of the SUV’s of the contemporaries and the trips they have abroad.

Sometimes, we are engulfed in that great sense of acquiring things since our wants are being influenced by what we see from our friends and our neighbors. We keep up with the Joneses. This great urge to have what others are having will oftentimes lead to dishonesty or having money out from dishonest and even immoral deeds.

Human nature is that we justify our actions. There are those managers who take resources from government coffers and will then say that they deserve the amount since they have extended their services beyond what is expected of them. Their conscience is clear. They even proudly display themselves in church-led activities for their morality is defined by their own concepts.They are self-righteous and would bite back when someone gives corrective measures. For them, they are doing it the right way.

The reason why spiritual growth is encouraged by the church and the sages is: This allows the person to shy away from being worldly. He is taught to nurture the spirit and eventually makes the “temple” to become simpler and holier. Christian faith inculcates following what Christ showed during his ministry - live a simple life and act as a servant leader.

But why is it that there are those people who are actively engaged in the church yet they still hunger to acquire material things? There are many factors which could lead the discourse to an intricate web. One thing is sure: these persons fail to arrive to a spiritual maturity. Another is that their unmet needs and desires overpower their need to be holy.

What would a car do to a manager whose competencies to be one is nil? Will the signature clothes substitute the capacities of a leader or is it effective leadership? Is the lavishly-constructed house a reflection of a person’s efficacy as a public servant? These are just some of the reflections we need to consider since a lot of times we only linger on the superficial but not the deeper meaning of things.

There is nothing wrong with acquiring things. Living in comfort is one of the reasons why we work. But these things must not muddle with the basic intentions to be honest and good. That is another story. We should also delay gratification since we consider material things and comfort as blessings from the divine. By acquiring stuff at the expense of others and service, there must be a religious fear that we must have that all would be retrieved back…

Yet  we define of our lives differently. That is the reason why there must be common grounds for all. These are faith and the laws of the land. There will be spiritual and moral anarchy when we will not surrender to the divine. There would be chaos and conflict in our land when we will not adhere to its laws.

Also, education must be the sole ammunition in the war against ignorance and the thriving of universal values. The educators must also go deeper to themselves to be able to radiate positive light to the learners to make the world a better one. This battle must be considered since the proliferation of the wrongdoers seem to be the trend these days.

We must understand that we could never square a circle.