Pyramids were good investments





When we look at the Pyramids of Giza or St Paul's Cathedral or the Taj Mahal, do we ask ourselves if the people at the time lived in poverty, or whether the artisans who created the beauty were well-fed?

We assume that it was a labour of love and devotion, or that they were slaves whipped into doing the work.

What we don't think about is that these opulent lavish structures might not have existed if the rulers of the day worried about the general well being of their subjects and how well they were fed.

If the wealth of the land were to be used to feed the masses, and none set aside for the statues and monuments the stories of those people would be lost in the sands of time.

The only reason we remember that they even existed was that they left behind works of art and giant structures of exquisite beauty. Structures that outlived the flesh.

So while it seems obvious that one should feed the starving children, instead of building lavish mosques, one needs to accept that long after that child and its descendants are dust, the mosque may still be standing as a testament to the devotion of this generation to God.

This might be the reasoning behind the millions of dollars spent on beautifying the places of worship.

The other reason is more sinister and calculated.

If you had a million dollars, how many people could you feed, and for how long?

If you gave 100 thousand people ten dollars each how much would that change the lives of the poor? After a few meals, they would go hungry again.

You could spend it on education and create a few doctors and lawyers but will that really be enough to lift the poor community out of poverty?

If you create a thing of beauty that they all feel drawn to and are proud of they will defend it and maintain it and when they can afford it even contribute to it.

Going back to Ali the starving child in the picture.

You would rather he got 10 dollars one-off, instead of growing up with the pride of owning a million-dollar mosque.

Someday he will be married in that mosque, and his son could become the imam and his daughter who married well would leave a third of her estate to the running of the mosque. He will, in any case, have his last prayer there and will be buried in the land behind the mosque. Ali will always be remembered fondly as the old man who was always in the front row of every prayer.

In time some of Ali's descendants would emigrate to Poland and there they would, after a lifetime of hard work invest their savings in building a million dollar mosque (just like the one back home) that would inspire a new generation of people to seek out the faith.

A century later when an earthquake destroyed the town that Ali had lived in, the mosque that was built with love, and to the highest standards, would survive. Many would come to see this miracle as a sign from God and the faith, that had weakened over the decades would grow strong again.

And the mosque would be full again.

So full in fact that they went on to raise 20 million dollars for the new renovations and extension.
This was perhaps an example of the best way to spend that 10 dollars

M Parak
March 2019

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts