Cheapening Life

One of the most terrible ills of modern society is uncontrolled infatuation with materialism. Not too long ago, The American Express company popularizes this catch-phrase: "Don't leave home without it." It is a clever marketing statement to inculcate in customers the powerful way the plastic is revolutionizing purchases of merchandise and services. Instead of stacks of paper money, one can simply swipe the card to make a purchase. It is easy on the consumer. It is easy on the merchant. It is profitable for the credit card company.

Materialism takes many forms. One of them is the way it has gripped society by its neck. A recent phenomena is the ubiquitous cellphone. In several surveys, one of the top cannot-leave-home-without-it items is the wireless cellphone. Phone manufacturers have upped the ante to provide not just the basic voice services but data such as text messaging and Internet surfing. Phones triple up as WiFi web browsers, PDAs, and digital cameras. People store almost everything personal on their tiny gadgets. However, being feature-rich is not enough. Phone makers have introduced the art of irresistible design. The Apple iPhone and the iPad is one of them.

It troubles me to see how the hunger for such devices have led to gullible actions. One boy sells his kidneys in order to buy an iPad. A girl offers her virginity for money to buy an iPhone. Sadly, both cases come from a country that is increasingly an economic superpower: China.

Such actions that exchange something human for a technological gadget is very inhumane. It cheapens life. Those who supply the organs or their precious virginity are plain silly. Those who take advantage of these offers are plain bullies. Can there really be a price tag to life?


Jesus came to die, that the world may live. God puts the value where it belongs. The world came to trade, that they may lust for more. Worldliness steals away the true value of creation. In a world where not all transactions are equitable, putting a price tag to humans is grossly inequitable.

The rise of China may be good for economic means. Unfortunately, not being able to address the true value of human beings may be the Achilles heel of the powerful Chinese economy. I will venture to say that it is not the Chinese or the Asian culture that is at fault. It is the lack of biblical theology in the societies at large that is the downfall. Without proper biblical theology, one can easily fall prey to all kinds of worldly philosophy. One of them is the downside of materialism: Cheapening Life.

Those who offers their bodies for technology gadgets, shame on you!
Those who exploits these children for their organs, shame on you!
Those who take advantage of gullible girls for sex, shame on you!
Those who put a price tag that cheapens life, SHAME on you!



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