The Horizon by Aziz Anis

The horizon, that sharply defined line separating sky from land or sea that we can clearly see in the far distance, whichever direction we gaze, is a deceptively unreachable destination. We all know that if we literally attempt to travel by any means along any latitude or longitude towards the horizon we can only end at our starting point. However, we use it symbolically, when we encourage our children to succeed in life, by asking them to reach for the horizon. What we really hope to accomplish is to urge them to create a destination goal for their life path as well defined as the horizon but practically reachable.

For those who consider their horizon goal in life, in whatever profession they pursue, is the accumulation of wealth, whether they start from some wealth or from nothing, they are now faced with the need to make a choice about how much and to what extent they want to exercise their relative free will.

The reason I call it relative free will is because absolute free will is practically non-existent. Our free will is tempered by the limitations imposed on it by physical and natural forces, by laws, rules and regulations of society, by family, cultural and religious traditions and rituals, by ethics and principles of honesty and decency, by emotions such as love, kindness, empathy, generosity and charity and so on and so on. The extent to which we exercise our free will can actually be considered as a point on a rising scale from zero upwards. Those at the bottom who are almost totally deprived of the ability to exercise any free will are individuals enslaved by external forces such as other human beings or some physical or pathological condition. Dictators, tyrants, despots, oligarchs, murderers and criminals occupy an area closer to the top of the scale. Decent, benevolent, friendly and caring individuals are probably located at a point somewhere below the center, closer to the bottom than to the top.

Now returning to those whose horizon goal is to accumulate wealth, their choice will depend on how much, for what purpose and how fast do they want to do so. If their aim is to achieve financial security for themselves and their family and build enough funds for a comfortable retirement they will exercise their free will within the respectable and decent limitations of society.

Those however who choose the horizon goal of immense wealth and power, will elect a fast track where they exercise their free will to the largest extent as long as they can get away with whatever infractions they commit. They will intentionally deaden any feelings of remorse or consideration for the hurt they may cause others whom they trample along the way. Their standard excuse is that they are business people and for them to succeed as such they cannot allow themselves the luxury of human emotions. Of course, though they publicly lament that fact, they actually enjoy and relish their ability of stepping over everyone else. They smile their greasy smile while echoing hollowly their refrain of “it’s nothing personal, it’s a business decision” as if this statement was enough of a pass to validate any atrocity they commit. The only Deity they believe in is Greed and they call it good.
No matter how much money or power they accumulate they never feel that they have reached their goal. They completely lose any sense of guilt about or debt to anyone of those whom they have impoverished directly or indirectly by their actions and call them the Have-nots. They take no responsibility for them as part of the society that contributed to their wealth by buying their products and their services. When they do employ these Have-nots they exploit them with the lowest wages and benefits if any and yet they call themselves job creators. They blame these Have-nots for being Have-nots because they did not work as hard as they did, wasting time in enjoying the frivolities of life, while they, the super wealthy were busy working hard at accumulating their wealth.

And now that they have more than enough to buy politicians and influence they spare no expense. They are well on their way of transforming our Democracy into their own Feudal System with the aid, support and blessings of our August Supreme Court.