On eagles wings: Our recovery from Coronavirus (XXIX). Avarice is the opposite of Mercy.
Have a beautiful week in the middle of July. In our mission to submit a road-map to our post-pandemic recovery, Eleonora Escalante Strategy decided to offer some weeks of ethical virtues to the menu. Why? Because any rehabilitation and improvement of our societies should include the recognition of God and His ethical values. I am proposing an ecological perspective to recover our communities after this colossal crisis, but this proposal demands a solid foundation of our core values. These values will guide us for the next 100 or more years of future human development. We have already visited the virtues of Humbleness, Meekness and Peacemaking (kindness), Mourning, and Hunger for Righteousness. This week, it is the turn of the beatitude of Mercy.
“Have Mercy on Me”. A Koala aquarelle by Eleonora Escalante. Handmade with love on Fabriano Artistico Paper Grana Satinata
Avarice is the antithesis of mercy. Before understanding the meaning of “MERCY”, and how to apply it into our business modeling concepts, or in any type of decision making, we are obliged to understand mercy´s opposite. In this particular case, Avarice is the antithesis of mercy. And we wish you to please see the following 8 slides. Print them, and read them with extreme delicacy.
If you wish to download the last set of slides, please click here: Eliescalante on eagles wings Avarice vs Mercy.
The whole lecture about avarice is included in the last slides. When writing about avarice, we found that there are multiple anti-virtues linked to it. For example, avarice breeds a host of consequences such as control, domination, neglect of the poor, modern slavery, dismissal of self-development to rise up from poverty, crime, injustice, and even restless unease. It is not my aim to provide more particular details about the avarice actions from our past history, but at least share some key avaricious facts that we all have observed in our current leaders, regardless the political-economic systems of their belonging. We can find avarice in directors and impresarios from the left-wing spectrum, from the center, and we can find avarice in leaders and executives from the right-wing side. We can find avarice in the 4th industrial revolution as it was conceived a few years ago. We can find avarice in methods, tools, proceedings, or products and services which have been sent to the market as a result of avaricious leaders’ objectives. With the pandemic, I invite you to try to recognize the mercy and avarice whenever you read a journal or newspaper. It is incredible what you can learn.
Our future recovery as eco-friendly or environmental economies (which Eleonora Escalante Strategy places in the center of the political-economic system’s spectrum) demands to be based on mercy, instead of avarice. An ecological economy is a moderate and balanced one. The beauty to rebuilt our economies after the pandemic is to leave behind the extremes, which only cause chaos and anarchy. An eco-friendly economy works wonders to reduce social inequality too.
Some thoughts about the UBI. The UBI or Universal Basic Income is one example of avarice. And we will explain why? The Universal Basic Income (UBI) is being confused at the moment with the figure of COVID19 Emergency Monthly Alimony which helps very much when in times of colossal disasters such as this pandemic. The COVID19 Emergency Monthly Aid works as a relief emergency provision, but it has to be temporary (just until people can stand by themselves again). This COVID19 Emergency Support is like what parents provide to their children until they are able to stand by themselves. Just until kids can make a living without their parents’ economic sustenance. On the other side, the UBI is a different thing.
UBI or Universal basic income is a government-guaranteed payment that each citizen receives. It is also called a citizen’s income, guaranteed minimum income, or basic income. The intention behind the monthly UBI payment is to provide enough to cover the basic cost of living. UBI has been tested in several countries. It has its pros and cons as everything in life. Nevertheless, during this gigantic pandemic, the UBI has emerged again as a solution to our poorest and troubled economies. In my next publication, we will explore some slides about the UBI and its bemols, and hopefully, we can trigger a healthful discussion of it. The UBI idea has risen using the Pandemic as a trigger to put it on the discussion table, as a “merciful” strategy for the long run, but do not confuse UBI with COVID19 Emergency Relief Aid. During this pandemic, it is absurd to don´t help those who have lost their income for some months, and the concept to apply is the COVID19 Emergency Relief Aid, not UBI. Our governments can provide non-reimbursable grants for our survival for a few months, or until the COVID19 is killed by the vaccines. We all are stressed to pay the bills, particularly when we have lost our jobs. But what annoys me is the conspiration to use UBI again with the fake generosity purpose to be manipulated and exercised by those who wish to replace eldest or expensive workers with NAIQI machine-intelligent technologies, or with youngest workers who will accept lowest salaries. (Remember NAIQI means the combo of technologies: Nanotechnology, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Supremacy and the Internet). And the following actions reveal the current situation:
- For example, a company has considered using full automation robots systems for his manufacturing processes. This decision means laying off around 500 employees. Despite the initial investments, the company will recover it in less than two years. Each employee was earning on average around US$50,000 dollars (gross) per year. The UBI for each of these new unemployed will be US$1,000 dollars per month, which means US$12,000 a year. When you compare US$50,000 dollars vs $12,000 dollars a year; who is losing? who is winning? Is the UBI enough for those who will lose their jobs? Are we returning to slavery under a mask of mercy?
- Another example: Analytical traditional researchers want to be substituted by machines and artificial intelligence-powered processors when it comes to analyzing zillions of data. Who is winning? Who is losing? Is the UBI enough for those who will lose their jobs? Are we returning to slavery under a mask of mercy?
- According to an article from a Forbes Magazine contributor, it is likely that “artificial intelligence will soon replace jobs involving repetitive or basic problem-solving tasks, and even go beyond current human capability. AI systems will be making decisions instead of humans in industrial settings, customer service roles, and within financial institutions”. Who is winning in the journey to substitute humans? Who is losing? Is the UBI enough for those who will lose their jobs? Are we returning to slavery under a mask of mercy?
- Digital education in primary, secondary schools is another example of avarice. Digital education is insufficient to create building blocks of good knowledge. On the surface, its expansive internet wave seems to be a generous tool to reach those who have not had access to education; but if you look at it with detail, what is the purpose of a mediocre education? Who is winning? Who is losing? Is the UBI enough for those parents with kids that require excellent education? Are we opening a door to slavery under a mask of mercy?
Mercy has an impact effect of the multiplication of blessings. In my next publication, we will leave the avarice to explore the deepest meaning of Mercy. We will surely land and expand into the virtue of mercy, and we will see it not just as an absence of avarice, but rather as the core of generosity and contentment as “givers”. Mercy is not giving of what you have left but giving of what you have with generosity. Mercy is beyond clemency or compassionate treatment or a disposition to be kind and forgiving towards those who have offended us. Mercy doesn´t end with giving freely and wholeheartedly, but it is characterized by actions of providing and seeking not just to alleviate or relieve the difficult situation of the receiver, but to help them with goodwill and benevolence for the long run to be better off than when you found them. Mercy has an impact effect of the multiplication of blessings.
Blessings.
Sources of reference utilized to write this article:
“Steering through Chaos- Vice, and Virtue in an age of moral confusion”. The Trinity Forum, 1999.
Disclaimer: Illustrations in Watercolor are painted by Eleonora Escalante. Other types of illustrations or videos (which are not mine) are used for educational purposes ONLY. Nevertheless, the majority of the pictures, images, or videos shown on this blog are not mine. I do not own any of the lovely photos or images posted unless otherwise stated.
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