The GMP Factor
{Greed, Money and Power}
What makes our world go around? Unfortunately, it’s the G M P Factor. This “merry” go-round of Greed, Money, and Power has been spinning our world round and round to a point where it’s on a dangerous precipice and could “fall off.” Why can’t the world live in love, peace, and harmony? Isn’t this what people really want? It was Emerson who said, “A man is what he thinks about all day long.” The Bible states, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” I’ll add to these my own version of the same idea: “What we think about, we bring about.”
What do the people of our world generally think about most of the time? What do you think about most of your time concerning our culture; government; schools; content in the entertainment field (movies, music, TV, sports, etc.)? What do you watch on TV? What kind of movies and music do you enjoy? What books do you read? What kind of friends do you have? All of this will say something about you. What we see in the world today is a result of people’s acting out what they’ve been thinking about. Do you like what you see?
To know what people think about most of the time is not difficult to discover. Observe the world around you. What do you see? What is going on in the homes around your neighborhood? On the streets in your town or city? On TV? Radio and newspapers? The movies? What kind of books and magazines are being read? What kinds of activities are popular? What is being taught in your schools? Preached in your churches? Practiced in your government and businesses? Do you see great and consistent efforts being made that would lead the world towards a more peaceful and loving state?
Where are the people of the world learning how to love themselves and others; to be kind, considerate and helpful to one another? Are we so wrapped up in getting that we forget giving? How important is money and power to you? Of course there’s nothing wrong with money: It’s good when used wisely. In the hand of the greedy and powerful it is like a cruel king. In the hands of the generous and powerful it is like a benevolent queen.
Our world has “thrived” on a downhill road towards self-destruction based on the G M P Factor. And this is based on fear, the true opposite of love. To quote Paul in the Bible, “Perfect love casts out all fear.” The opposite is also true: Perfect fear casts out all love. Greed for power and wealth is based in fear: fear of not having enough, whatever enough means. Fear motivates people to try to get “enough.” The means may be honest or dishonest.
Fear can be so excessive, even if not recognized, that individuals are driven to rescue themselves with as much money for the sake of power and control, as they can get, by whatever means. Doing whatever it takes, when coupled with the G M P Factor, however, can be disastrous. Just look at our world. Do you see G M P at work?
Solutions to World Problems
The solutions to world problems are not difficult to find. In fact, they are already known. Jesus gave us the solutions 2000 years ago, but too few people truly understood them well enough to implement them. This is as true today as it was then. What are these solutions? As concisely as possible, here they are in modern terms:
People must learn to:
1. Love themselves.
2. Love each other to the best of our ability, regardless of race, or religion. Yes, I know this is hard.
3. Stop judging (criticizing and condemning) others.
4. Forgive each other when we have fallen into judgment traps. Have you walked in someone else’s shoes?
5. Give of themselves unselfishly, without expectation of something in return; help one another; be kind.
When a majority of people on this planet live love on a daily basis, the world will be totally different than it is today. As Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Be the peace that you want to see in this world.” This world will be transformed as we all do our part by becoming more peaceful and loving.
F. Anton Stahl:
Previous achievements include: Author: Uncommon Wisdom1, Lifetime Strategies for Successful Living. Founder and former director of Amdo Institute for Human Development, Research, Education and Training in Wayne, New Jersey; Human Relations Counselor; Head instructor of 8 Martial Arts schools; Weight lifting Champion; Shopping Mall owner.
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