Tuesday, October 19, 2010

What price Mammon?

No one seems to be shocked at the amount of corruption that was witnessed at the Commonwealth Games. There will of course be the enquiry, and a few symbolic heads may roll. What is shocking is the acceptance by all concerned that such corruption is so much a way of life that nothing can be done about it.
 
 

We do not react in anger,

Nor are we shocked or dismayed,

At the corruption around us,

Since that's the way it's always been.

 

We are not shamed, called to account,

Nor are they who commit the crimes.

That is the way the system works,

That's the way we are tuned to think.

 

We do not aspire to ideals,

That inspire us to be of service.

We now have a set of morals,

Where the end justifies the means.

 

We do not seek to serve others,

There is but one God and that's I.

The God in heaven we appease,

With money, and chanting his name.

 

The binds placed by religion,

Society, decency, and sense,

Are all but gone. They are weakened.

I wonder. What binds will take their place?

 

The new Gods have different morals,

Based on money and money's worth.

What price, worship of Mammon,

To the exclusion of all else?

 

Dinesh Gopalan

(blog: http://www.dineshgopalan.com/ )

2 comments:

rv said...

Are you the son of the late R.S. Gopalan ex. of RBI, Mumbai?

Dinesh Gopalan said...

yes, I am