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VIEWPOINT - We have five senses, established Aristotle over two millennia ago, but modern neuroscientists now say we have a sixth sense, and probably more. Whatever the number, all my senses were shocked over the flaunting of wealth at a recent ostentatious wedding in Venice, Italy, the expected antiplutocrat repulse be damned.
And a similar shock refuses to dissipate as America, "Sweet land of liberty. ....Let freedom ring.....Land of the noble, free.... With freedom's holy light", as written by Samuel Francis Smith, spurned traditions of honor, freedom, and equality to pursue “deals "and to cuddle billionaires.
What caused us to forget the lyrics of America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates?
“America! America!
God shed his grace on thee,
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!”
Showcasing money in glitzy and outrageously staged events is an offensive gesture, comparable to extending the middle finger to the world, a rude signal widely comprehended. The excessive display of extreme wealth is, unquestionably, a morals issue.
What does this blitzkrieg of disrespect prove? Why do we now insolently bark at people, at other nations? “Watch me do what you can’t do.” Or, more specifically, “Watch me get away with anything I want because, unlike you, my pocket is loaded, and so is my gun.” Being very wealthy is often referred to as being “filthy rich.” Excessive wealth used for bragging is offensive. It is intended to attract esteem and reverence—things that money cannot buy.
I was taught during my early school years in Athens a meaningful guiding principle: “Everything in moderation.” In other words, balance and self-control in all aspects of life, as Marcus Aurelius wrote in his "Meditations". Of course, there is nothing wrong with making and having money, lots of it, provided its true worth is not to exhibit it but to use it for the benefit of society.
Unfortunately, the media and the entertainment industry have helped create a mesmerizing appeal for wealth.
The adoration of money at any cost, and the reckless dismantling of governmental agencies and safeguards, the resistance to stand up for what is American—from the judicial to the legislative domains —have spun us out of control.
While a myriad recent acts have blunted my logic, I still believe in the American promise, as once proclaimed by President Lyndon Johnson on March 15, 1965, in a message to Congress: “I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. I urge every member of both parties, Americans of all religions and of all colors, from every section of this country, to join me in that cause… At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom… Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country: to right wrong, to do justice, to serve man…”
President Johnson emphasized, “The might of past empires is little compared to ours. But I do not want to be the President who built empires, or sought grandeur, or extended dominion. I want to be the President who educated young children to the wonders of their world. I want to be the President who helped to feed the hungry and to prepare them to be taxpayers instead of tax-eaters…”
How strong those words are today. Driven by purely economic reasons, it is unfortunate that we talk today about a new colonialism, the annexing of Greenland and Canada, whose citizens today are so infuriated they will not even visit the United States. Significantly, the United States was the first modern nation to win independence through a successful revolution against colonial rule.
To serve man. To serve humanity. To right wrong—that is what America meant to a despairing world. That is what made this nation so special, so loved. And many billionaires pitched in, contributing to America`s industrial growth and rise as a global economic power. C. Vanderbilt. J.D.Rockfeller, A.Carnegie, J.P.Morgan H.Ford, thoughtful people who channeled their funds to bring about transformative change. The true value of wealth is not in personal glorification, but to be used for man’s progress, to be shared for the big things and little things in life that keeps this country great. We should keep in mind Seneca`s admonition: "Wealth is the slave of a wise man.The master of a fool".
It is not my purpose here to pass moral judgment on wealth or politics, but to evaluate and reflect as one concerned naturalized citizen stunned by the recent irregular events. After all, this is America, the land of the free and the brave. The home of ideals.
(Nick Patsaouras is the author of the book "The Making of Modern Los Angeles". He is a featured writer for CityWatchLA.com.)
