I just finished watching the documentary “Inside Job.” It was released in 2010 and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature that year. Produced, written, and directed by Academy Award nominated filmmaker Charles Ferguson, the film is about the late 2000s financial crisis leading to the economic meltdown in 2008, and the systemic corruption of the United States by the financial services industry.
Needless to say, it was so disheartening…. the greed, the corruption, the lack of caring about others. It just made me so sad. Plus, the cycle continues as the documentary points out that it has infiltrated our government and our education system. Yes, President Obama said there would be reforms in the financial system, yet his main policymakers are those that are still heavily invested in those very same financial systems. Can you say conflict of interest?
Seriously, I just don’t get it. When you’re pulling in tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars a year, don’t you think you could look outside yourself and be a vessel for goodness? How many homes, jets, cars, jewels, etc. etc. does one person need anyway? When does the need to feed the ego end? Do you really need all those things to show the world that you’re worthy?
Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely believe that everyone should work for a living and be compensated for their hard work. We were all born with special talents, and frankly, to put it to waste by not doing anything or expecting hand outs, is a serious travesty.
But, when you make money at the expense of others (i.e., CEOs who make millions but have their employees make their money for them but don’t get compensated like the CEO, or bankers that dupe their clients so that they can get their commissions), then it goes beyond using your gifts for good. Now, you are just plain greedy, and seriously selfish.
When is enough enough? Sadly, some people will never be satisfied, and actually, I like to steer clear of those kinds of people. I truly question their moral integrity, and really, at the end of our lives, that is all we have.
Here’s a link to the movie trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzrBurlJUNk. Well worth watching.
No Ugly Duckling 