Coco Calling No.218 - The Madness of Money

The world in which parrots exist is very straight-forwards. You could say that we live out our lives at a subsistence level. In the wild, God’s provided us with trees and supplies of water and food, so that unless humans come along and wreck our natural environment, we live out a happy, simple and pleasant existence. And even when you’re a pet bird like I am, you still get all of your food and water provided, as well as a roof over your head.

Human life is far more complex because of “human ownership”. Humans like to think that they own everything around them instead of sharing it all out equally. And so this leads to imbalances. Some lay claim to far more than they need, while others don’t have enough. And the basis for all human wealth and ownership is a thing called “money.” Money is nothing more than a load of metal and paper tokens, but it’s used in human society to determine the worth and value of just about everything. And this is where it all starts to go horribly wrong. Because money can take centre stage over and above character, morals, kindness and decency. Money has probably spoilt and corrupted more human beings than just about everything else put together. And its magnetic appeal means that it so often rides roughshod over compassion and love.

In that noisy place that humans call “America,” as well as in many other parts of the world, success is determined by how wealthy a human has become during his or her life. These days, fabulously wealthy humans are put onto pedestals and worshipped like idols and superstars. Entrepreneurs such as Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Jeff Bazos and Mark Zuckerberg have become the role models that so many other humans want to emulate. Far more so than the lowly priest or the volunteer at a homeless centre, who have given up their whole lives to the service of God. For so many humans, money has become far more important than any kind of moral fibre, or any altruistic legacy.

I wonder whether humans will ever wake up to realise the error of their ways? Because a daily rat race is not the answer to anything. After all, even if you win and come out on top of the pile, you will still continue to be a rat.

Our lives here on Earth were never just meant to be about money and wealth. No; we’re all on this planet to be shaped, moulded and refined in readiness for Heaven. Money and wealth don’t exist in Heaven; the only thing you’ll find there is Christian virtue and sacrificial love. Combined, they’re worth more than all of the world’s money and wealth put together.

There was once a human being (who looked a bit like a bulldog), that wrote these very wise words:

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” (Winston Churchill: 1874-1965: British Prime Minister and British leader during World War II).

Perhaps one day, humans will evolve enough to realise that the most priceless thing that they have here on Earth is love. And true love is not owned by anyone and carries no financial value. It’s beyond all that because it’s priceless. And that means it’s freely available to everyone; both rich and poor alike…

“A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.”

(W.C. Fields: 1880-1946: American comedian, actor, juggler and writer).

“You aren’t wealthy until you have something money can’t buy.”

(Garth Brooks: 1962-Present: American country music singer and songwriter).

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

(1 John 3: 16-18)