The problem of plenty
K S S Pillai
Philosophers say that death is a great equalizer. Once a person dies, the difference between the poor and the rich vanishes. The body will be taken to the crematorium before it starts stinking, where the amount of wood, gas or electricity required to reduce it to ashes is the same. If it is to be buried, the area of land required for that purpose is also not different.
We are told from childhood that those living an evil life will suffer after their death while others will get an entry to heaven and be happy ever after. Though one wants to be included in the latter category, there are many hindrances on the way, the main one being excess wealth, the root of all evils. It is often quoted from scriptures that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the Kingdom of God.
Though excessive wealth is frowned upon by such people, I would not mind being reasonably wealthy while I enjoy sound health. I remember the story of a poor boy who craved sweets but was too poor to buy them. By the time he accumulated enough wealth through hard work, enabling him to buy any sweets he wanted or even buy the entire sweet shop, he had diabetes, making doctors prohibit him from eating them.
Money would ensure a comfortable life with people looking at you with respect. Things like eating food that one likes, living in a spacious house in a decent locality, moving around well-dressed, having a car instead of waiting for an overcrowded bus or train to go to my office need money.
The problem of plenty has affected many in the upper stratum of society. There used to be a severe scarcity of seats in engineering colleges, and one had to struggle hard to get admission to a popular branch. Not wanting to let go of the opportunity to earn a fast buck, many private players entered the field, resulting in a glut of such colleges.
With supply far outstripping demand, many are being closed. The problem of plenty is present in various other fields too. We have no qualm in keeping the water tap open while shaving our faces or brushing our teeth. Several public water taps are in such a condition that water goes on flowing with no means to turn them off. With scarcity of electricity becoming a problem of the past, we do not care to switch off the air-conditioners, fans, or lights while leaving a room.
Though we pay through our nose for petrol, diesel and other types of fuel, we do not switch off our vehicles while waiting for the green signal at traffic islands. Too lazy to go to the food counter for a second time by standing in a queue, we heap our plates with excess food at feasts and leave a lot uneaten, even as the poor comb waste bins, fighting with stray dogs for left-over food. Our cupboards are full of dresses that we hardly wear. There are so many television channels and other sources of entertainment that one does not know which one to choose.
It is reported that one of the richest men in our country, owning a house with 27 floors and three helipads, is getting life-threatening calls. The poor fellow, having so much to worry about, maybe tossing and turning in his bed throughout the night and suffering from numerous anxiety-related diseases. The villains include those who are paid from tax-payers’ money to work as law-keepers. He is so worried that he has asked for added security from the government at his own cost.
The problem of plenty has been affecting even the high and mighty in the government. One such person, born poor, was elected to a high office with a mansion having hundreds of rooms. The guy must be baffled and worried about such abundance in a poor country.
(The author is a retired professor of English. A regular contributor to ‘The Kashmir Vision’, his short stories and articles have appeared in various national and international publications)
