The Dollar.
We pray for it, we slave for it, we devote our best years
and finest talents to acquire it. And then we blame it for
all our ills. In particular, two basic accusations are leveled
against the dollar:
1. It has usurped the position
-- once occupied by the spiritual, the transcendent and the
divine -- of the highest striving of man and the ultimate
authority in his life. In this day and age, the dollar is
god.
2. It is the cause of untold
division and strife. It has pitted brother against brother,
neighbor against neighbor, nation against nation. Indeed,
virtually all conflicts are conflicts between the haves and
the have-nots. And what do the haves have that the have-nots
do not? Money.
But is the dollar really at
fault? Is a six-and-one-eighth by two-and-five-eighths inch
piece of green and white paper to be blamed for the fact that
we have transformed the ultimate means into an ultimate end?
That a most potent social glue is used to build walls of hostility
and fortresses of isolation?
What does the dollar itself
say about its intended and perverted uses?
By divine providence, the
designers of the dollar inscribed on it two key phrases. The
first, which extends above the large ONE on its reverse side,
is "In G-d we trust." Not I, says the dollar, can
provide you with solace from the pain of life and security
against its uncertainties; not I should serve as the object
of your yearning and the focus of your striving. Do not trust
in me--trust in G-d. Do not serve me--use me to serve G-d.
The second phrase, inscribed
on the face of the Great Seal of the United States reproduced
to the right, is E pluribus unum (Out of many, one). Yes,
the world we perceive with our eyes of flesh is a plural world,
a world of great variety and diversity. But our mission in
life is to make of the many one, to unite these diverse forces
into a harmonious expression of the oneness of their Creator.
People are different -- differently
endowed with talents, resources and opportunities. Money can
deepen these differences, when it is used to hoard wealth,
reward privilege and exploit the needy. But money is far more
suited to unite and equalize. It is the ultimate abstractor,
converting goods, talent and toil into a commodity that can
easily be traded and shared. It is a medium of generosity
and cooperation between men and nations, a consolidator of
resources to a common end.
The next time you use or pursue
the dollar, take a moment to read the fine print.
| Authors Details: Yanki Tauber - Unknown
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