Part 1: Construction of the lie.

Life has become both easy and complicated at the same time at the start of the 21st Century. "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer", they say. Who are the mysterious 'they'? Is it the Government, the others, the higher echelons of society or a fabled secret cult formed in the Dark Ages. "You can't buy happiness" and "money is the root of all evil" are two other phrases that the rich use to make the poor feel comfortable with being poor. The truth is that the rich enjoy being rich and that there is nothing wrong with being rich. What is wrong, is greed. The constant need for need, to have something or be someone. What possesses someone to buy something so garish or so ostentatious like a diamond-covered cigarette lighter. Will a normal plastic one not do? Think of the effort that goes into creating a diamond-covered lighter. Thinking about the manufacturing process has made me want one now. But why, why did I suddenly have a desire for one. Could it be that there are not many in the world, like diamonds. Yes, that's why. Heck I don't even smoke, but the thought of owning one triggered the pleasure receptacles in my brain.

Sometimes you need to take a step back, to look at things from a wider angle. It's not that your mind is not open, it is. But how you are looking at things is distorted by the media. Do you ever get that feeling that something doesn't quite add up. I've been getting it a lot lately. Have you ever noticed that despite a food crisis, certain large chains of fast food establishments still sell cheap food.

Part 1 continues 9th July 2008.