I'm going to start this post with a reference to the bible. Don't worry..... I'm not trying to convert anyone here, nor am I trying to preach about anything...... if you know me well enough, you should know how "religious" I am. I'm just expressing how I feel about this topic.
Basically, there was a worker who agreed to a certain amount of money for the work that he did, but when he found out that other people who are doing less work are being paid more, he got mad and complained to the master. But then the master say "Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?"
My initial reaction to this passage is "WTF??? That's not right! This is against the very foundation of fairness and equality!". I even asked my dad what he thinks about it, and he couldn't give me a satisfactory answer as well. The more I think about it, the more furious I get, because this particular passage is exactly happening in my work. Am I just suppose to be cool about it and accept any unfair treatment that comes my way???
After that, I tried not to think too much into it, and I have actually forgotten about it for quite a while.
Then, it suddenly dawned on me, what if I'm not supposed to interpret it that way? Perhaps there is a hidden message behind the passage? Again, I'm not trying to preach here.... I don't even know if I am right, but at least it doesn't make me lose faith in my religion just because of one passage.
I think that the passage is trying to say that you should be contented with what you have and you shouldn't compare yourself with other people. My parents have been teaching this to me all my life (even though I think they are not doing a very good job of applying it to their own lives, but nonetheless.....). I also think that it would be easier to not compare yourself if you do not know about certain things. For example, in the passage above, if the worker doesn't know how much the other worker is getting, then he would not be mad. So, moral of the story is : "Don't be so kepo lah!"
However, I'm not sure if it can be applied in this modern world. With the advancement of technology, information is much much easier to be obtained now compared to when the bible was written. Also, we believe that people who are knowledgeable are superior to people who are less knowledgeable. So, in a way, it is contradicting. Does this mean that the smarter we get, the more unhappy we will be??? Are we supposed to be ignorant and only cares about our own life???
Aiyooo..... so cheem one!!!
ini kebetulan gospel reading buat rabu ini sep. jadi kalo elu ke misa bacaannya itu. so kalo sempet elu bisa ke weekday mass. dari kantor elu paling deket ke katedral good shepherd, 1.15pm.
ReplyDeleteanyway gua jg punya shalom, buku kecil daily reflection, dia bilang gini:
Many find this parable difficult to deal with. With his opening words, however, Jesus clearly indicates his intention: the parable is entirely and solely concerned with the Kingdom of God. Reading anything out of it with reference, for example, to human employers and employees, misses Jesus' message. During His ministry, Jesus faced the difficult task of getting people, including His disciples, to understand the nature of the Kingdom He had come to establish.
Jesus was not a political Messiah or a social reformer in any human sense. In a divine sense, He was indeed a social reformer: He would replace human society and its earthly values and persectives with a new society based entirely on the gratuitous and unconditional love of God for humanity. Participation in this new society, this community of love and truth, requires a new vision which can only come through the grace of God. "The last shal be the first and the first shall be last" is not a doctrine that can be explained and assimilated by human understanding. We have here a new wisdom, a wisdom which overthrows our mere human wisdom.
Terus di bawah ada doanya:
Lord Jesus, enlighten out minds and hearts that we may understand more clearly your message about the Kingdom of God and may work most earnestly as your disciples to realise its values in our society.