An enduring dictum

An enduring dictum

 
Rampant and unbridled consumption

may keep the economy galloping,

but such mindlessness ushers in an era

of age-old and disreputable demigods:

lust; gluttony; greed; sloth; wrath; envy; and pride

(and their kin).

Indulging those unfulfilling masters

may cause a descent into darkness

that can only be slowed and reversed

with a return to conscious focus on:

prudence; perseverance; the common good; humanity; and honesty

(and the like).

Simply putting faith in deified characters

like Jesus, Buddha or a God

is not enough –

they are dead, gone and

(arguably)

effectively non-existent ...

and it is a well-known truism

that ‘faith without works’

is also dead.

Individual and collective virtuous action

is the aim, standard and criteria

through which nurturing

and genuinely productive generative progress

occurs –

until such time

as one life or another ends

(as they all do).

There is nothing magical or mysterious about it –

philosophers, theologians and lay-people

from the past and present

have pondered, discussed and written of it

bountifully.

What is needed,

however,

is for it to be actioned

(by all ... always).