Trump and what money can't buy!

Trump's shopping list!

So, President Trump now wants to buy Greenland! An uninhabited Greek island is one thing, but the largest island in the world that is also an autonomous territory... Well! Although Greenland has been a part of Denmark for over 200 years, it has been increasingly self-governing since 1979, with only foreign affairs and defence still controlled by Denmark. The suggestion just highlights how callous and clueless the American President is. 

People are not for sale

Despite its promising name, Greenland is no Eden. Three quarters of it, in fact, are covered under permanent ice. Erik the Red, the Norse explorer, reportedly gave it the attractive name in order to encourage colonisation. Now Greenland has 57 thousand or so inhabitants and they are justifiably proud of their identity, culture and autonomy. For Trump, however, people are just pawns and this move is just another confirmation of his cynical outlook. For Trump, money and power come first. What next? Will he decide to auction Puerto Rico (a US unincorporated territory) to the highest bidder? Slavery was abolished in the US in 1865, but clearly, Trump still does not quite understand that people are not for sale.

A US tradition

True, the US has a tradition of buying territory; the purchase of Louisiana from France in 1803, Florida from Spain in 1819 and Alaska from Russia in 1867 are just a few examples of its many transactions. Nevertheless, the world is a very different place now and annexing people and lands through war or purchase is now seen for what it is: an affront to civil rights.

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The Ten Commandments and the Failure of the Faithful

Religions

Religions may be seen as an attempt to make sense of life and its mission. I could say 'life and its meaning', but 'meaning' can justify a certain passivity, a statement of fact. Mission denoted purpose. Religions are an approximation because they deal with realities that transcend our present status; a bit like using the birds and the bees to teach children the facts of like. Only fools would take their stories and metaphors literally. There is more to religions than dos and don'ts. However, the dos and don't are more specific; they are basic norms. Let's take the Ten Commandments for instance.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments revolve around honouring God and respecting our fellow human beings. The directives are pretty basic: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery... I guess adultery is breaking a marriage contract, so I would resolve that by not going into one in the first place and avoiding having sex with people who have. God is presented as the guiding principle, so I have no trouble honouring that. And yet I do not follow any established religion. Indeed, the Ten Commandments are endorsed, directly or indirectly, by most religions, including, of course, the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Why, oh why, then, are religious people the cause of so much violence in the world? What do they not understand about not killing, stealing or coveting? The bitter irony is that, frequently, their atrocities are actually committed in the name of God or religion. 

So, why then?

The answer is simple: because many of us are a bunch of nasty idiots willing to be led by a few devious ones. All it would take is a bit of good will and common sense and we could live in peace and harmony. If this is not worth striving for, then what is?

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