Thread by @jeffblack945

RevThread # 34
The Ruins of Greed

1/ There’s a scene in Prescott’s Conquest of Mexico when Hernando Cortez and his men,

2/ on their great horses, wearing their shining armor, pause & look at a beautiful Aztec city, adorned in gold, gleaming in the sun.

3/ They admire it. Then they charge in and slaughter the people and seize it for themselves.

4/ How do we ruin our souls like that? What prevents that ruin or restores our souls?

5/ James, the younger brother of Jesus understood greed and violence pretty well. Can you imagine being Jesus’ younger brother?

6/ What his teachers would say when they had you in their class?

James knew about rivalry, poor kid.

7/ I like it that one of Jesus’ resurrection appearances was just to James.

Anyway, James reflected on what his brother was all about ..

8/.. and said to other followers of Jesus:

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?

9/ " Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder.

10/ "You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight & quarrel.” (James 4:1 – 2)

Simple words, yes; simple enough to trust.

11/ We’re built to desire, so desire in itself is wonderful. What then is the problem?

12/ I notice I can eat a whole box of Cheez-Its, but only a few walnuts.

That’s because we can never get enough of what we do not need.

13/ Walnuts are charged with nutrients; Cheez-its got nuttin.

You can never get enough of what you do not need.

14/ If I keep trying to feed myself stuff I don’t need, I can become addicted, and never feel satisfied. That's how greed works.

15/ About the Donald--and Vladimir and Betsy and the Steves and Wilbur and Tom and all their wannabees--here’s what's inside:

16/ That’s a black hole. It just sucks even light into itself as it completes it’s death.

17/ Vlad now has over 100 billion bucks just for himself. Now he wants Arctic oil. He just grabbed the oil of Crimea.

18/ Putin, too, can’t get enough of what he doesn’t need.

19/ Donny slept here, & awoke to look down on Manhattan:

But then he wanted the White House.

20/ Trump just can’t get enough of what he doesn’t need.

21/ That includes endless admiration from his marks who believe his endless lying.

22/ These folks just can't get enough of what they sooooo... do not need.

23/ Trump and his cabinet and billionaire backers are walking black holes of need.

Back in my day, it was Imelda Marcos. Remember her?

24/ Imelda couldn’t get enough of what she didn’t need.

25/ These days, like Steve Paddock & like Donald, Dan Bilzarian, a far right gun nut, just can’t get enough of what he does not need.

26/ What, then do we need?

27/ James knows. “Every good & perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights...” (I:17)

28/ Gratitude and generosity heal that black hole. Love for and from others, for and from God, fill life up.