Gods of the New Age

[negono]

There seems to be little left of any real moral code, beyond the
sensations of pleasure and pain. The only vision that seems to be
popular is the pursuit of power – power to prolong pleasure and repeat
it, power to reduce pain and prevent it, power to bless your friends
and curse your enemies. This is very much the instinctive life of
animals – pursue pleasure, retreat from pain – and it’s very
convincing. After all, who wants to feel bad? Who wants to suffer
thirst, hunger, nakedness, homelessness, sickness or loneliness? So
the gods of the new age, in whatever form they manifest – politics,
economics, religion, philosophy, science, art – offer formulae to get
and keep this power. Unfortunately it’s usually at the expense of
other people or social groups, even family and friends. After all, I
am the most important person on the planet and you are here meet my
needs and serve my purposes. What then of love? What then of
faithfulness? Jesus said to love others at least as much as yourself,
and Ghandi stated he think of people and causes he might die for, but
none he would kill for. Aren’t hatred, selfish anger and jealousy
forms of murder and motivation towards abuse, aggression and violence?