The Yo-yo of greed – is there hope for the most vulnerable citizens on planet earth?

The whole world holds its breath… what will happen at Wallstreet? Is there anything positive to report?

The good news (WAS) according the Millennium Development Goals:

· Some 400 million fewer people live in absolute poverty today than in 1990.

· At least 90 percent of boys and girls in all but two regions of the world are enrolled in school.

· Deaths from measles fell from 750,000 in 2000 to less than 250,000 in 2006, and 80 percent of children in developing countries are now vaccinated against the disease.

· Some 1.6 billion more people than in 1990 can now get safe drinking water.

These gains and others are the result of a global effort “unsurpassed” in 50 years of development history, according to a new United Nations report on the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) based on data from a number of organizations, including the World Bank.

That was the good news until recently; now the bad news: the bad news is that we have not changed in our nature as people! The bad news is that we only can share some of the crumbs of our tables as long as we have abundance!

The fact is that we are caught in a constant swing, a yo-yo if you like, where every effort to break out from our greedy nature seems to release an untamable power bringing us back in the opposite direction leading to a widening gap between the most exposed and vulnerable and the rich to whom the large majority of the Western World belongs.

The current unbelievable and unaccountable $700 billion bailout package which is being discussed for Wall Street by the US government gives us an indication of what is about to happen. According to a fellow blogger the present crisis was addressed on a closed doors session of the United States House of Representatives on Thursday, March 13, 2008.(For English reading check out the end of the text).

It was on that particular meeting that the imminent collapse of the U.S. economy was discussed to occur by September 2008. (A true story? I don’t know, you judge for yourself). The fact is that millions of Americans are thrown back into (Western) poverty level living as a direct result of greedy investors and risk-takers in the economic realm. But there is more to be concerned about… 1.4 billion people still live on less than $1.25 a day and new challenges threaten the achievement of global anti-poverty goals.

Food, fuel and other commodity prices have risen dramatically over the last year and threaten to push over 100 million people back into poverty, according to the World Bank.

The current United States-based financial crisis will affect other economies and slow growth that has helped lift many people in emerging nations out of poverty in the last decade.

Greater effort is needed to lift people out of extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, reduce the number of malnourished children, prevent maternal and child deaths, and achieve greater equality for women, among other goals.

As you see, we are living in a global world with all its advantages but surely a multitude of disadvantages… And as usual, the exposed and vulnerable people in our world will be the first (and often) the only true victims… somehow many of us in the West seem to be able to avoid having to live with the disastrous, life threatening consequences of a world gone mad! What to do with it… Don’t ask me for the answers; I’ve only got one, that a man leaves his darkness as he follows the Son!

That’s the Way I see it!

John

Relationship problems? It’s all about our genes…

The latest Swedish research at the world renowed Karolinska Institute shows that relationship problems might be caused by the ”allel 334” gene. Observe that research shows that only men who carry this gene can be determined by it; for women the gene doesn’t make any difference!

This really confirms my thesis that we men are too easily influenced; we are too receptive, to sensitive and too vulnerable for situations, decisions and temptations which causes are found outside ourselves: “we didn’t want this, we are only victims!”

After the different medical break-troughs’ during the last couple of years where we have received indications (proof?) that depressions, alcoholism, aggression, eating disorders, greed and other issues we deal with can be explained by the genes which we carry, we finally found this gene explaining why so many relationships suffer. Add these genes to the ones which are found that have messed up our sexuality and made us without a defined sexual identity (we can choose what we want to be), and we have laid a strong foundation to nullify our own responsibility for the choices we make. (Our genes forced us!)

The Bible speaks about the consequences of sin – no one is without it. No one is righteous. I truly believe that there can be distortions and genes which seem to determine our way of living, thinking, acting and feeling. BUT, I believe that these distortions and vulnerable parts of our make-up have invaded humanity as a direct result of our disobedience to our Creator. Personally I can relate to many weaknesses, inclinations in my “nature” and vulnerable areas within my life and character… actually I am full of #####! But, (here we have the second “but”), the Good News is that we don’t have to be victims of our upbringing, our traumas, our vulnerable inclinations; Jesus Christ has come to help you and me to have a new future where even our weaknesses, our vulnerable areas in our personality and make-up can be changed and transformed as we allow Jesus to touch them and redeem them!

I am most probably the carrier of a number of genes which aren’t too good for me nor anyone in my surrounding, my hope and prayer is that I in humility will remain close enough to Jesus to allow Him to touch me even in potentially distorted areas!

That’s the Way I see it!

John