How sordid! -- Xi ħniżrija!

- no title specified

I still seethe when recalling the news from mid November, where a painting called Salvador Mundi, attributed to the Italian genius Leonardo da Vinci, was sold for half a billion American dollars.

HALF A BILLION!

Just to be precise, it was sold for US$450 million (equivalent to AU$600 million).

The article continued to say that those present ‘erupted in cheers and applause’.1 Even better.

The painting, if you please, is of a saintly person, the son of a poor carpenter, living about 2000 years ago, who gave his life, literally, fighting for the poor, the week and downtrodden and preaching the truth, a certain Jesus Christ.

Am I the only one to see some irony and obscenity in this economic transaction?

Fear not, assured us the Sydney Morning Herald, about the high price. Firstly, the price truly reflects the high value of this piece of art; secondly, half the price represents profit to the previous owner; thirdly, whoever bought it today made a good business decision.2

Oh, it’s OK then. This really set my mind at rest, all good.

What crap logic is this? How does this transaction, where a painting of 45cm by 65cm changed hands for such an astronomical amount, contribute to a more just world or society?

Should I forget the pictures of all those babies all skin and bone in Yemen, due to its borders being closed by Saudi Arabia even for humanitarian trips?3 Should I forget that $10 can buy a live chicken that can provide protein over a long period to poor kids and their family, and a source of income?4

When I was younger, I was told that the socialist system was no good, as it did not encourage entrepreneurship. I also learnt that communism wasn’t good either, as it did not permit property ownership. I learnt that in these systems, a few find a way to accumulate all the wealth, and the rest remain poor. The capitalist system is better.

And here we are today, where the capitalist system, and its variants, has spread around the world, and the few (1%) still have as much wealth as the rest of the population (99%).5 It is a system where a single soccer player (Neymar) can be transferred from one club to another for a third of a billion Australian dollars (€222 million) and get paid half a million Euro a week, just to kick a ball.6

Capitalism is the system in which wealth is supposed to trickle down to benefit everyone, say some economists. Does this remind you, as it does to me, of the discussion of Jesus with the woman from Canaan (Mt 15:27), where she told him that even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table? I do love dogs, but in a capitalist system, are the 99% considered dogs?

I feel a growing recognition around the world that the predominant economic system of today, capitalism, is only resulting in injustices and inequalities, where the few are able to gorge themselves, and the remaining multitude just have to make do and easily get some free advice like the declaration by the Australian ex-Treasurer, Joe Hockey, who advised those who were poor to get a better job! Such insight!

I do fell that much of the poverty and misery around the world are possible to be solved, with available resources. They are not resolved by the people that matter, and by leaders around the world, that good will is actually in short supply.

We should also not forget that in the democracies that most Maltese people live in, the leaders, who write the rules that our society follow, are selected by ourselves. The ball is in our court, in fact.

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Għadni nitbabaq meta niftakar b’aħbar li qrajt f’nofs dan ix-xahar ta’ Novembru, fejn pittura msejħa Salvador Mundi, attribwita għall-ġenju Taljan Leonardo da Vinci, inbiegħet għal nofs biljun dollaru Amerikan.

NOFS BILJUN!

Ħalli nkun preċiż, inbiegħet għal $450 miljun Amerikan (ekwivalenti għal $600 miljun Awstraljan).

L-artiklu kompla li meta nbiegħet dawk preżenti nfexxew f’għajjat ta’ approvazzjoni u applaws.1 Ukoll.

Il-pittura, jekk jogħġbok, hija ta’ bniedem qaddis, iben mastrudaxxa fqir, li għex madwar 2000 sena ilu, li ta’ ħajtu, litteralment, jiġġieled għall-fqir, il-batut u l-magħkus u jippriedka s-sewwa, ċertu Ġesu Kristu.

L-ironija u l-oxxenità ta’ din it-transazzjoni ekonomika jien biss qed naraha?

Tinkwetaw xejn, qaltilna s-Sydney Morning Herald, fuq il-prezz għoli. L-ewwel ħaġa, il-prezz jirrifletti l-valur għoli tal-biċċa arti; it-tieninett, li nofs il-prezz jirrifletti qligħ għas-sid ta’ qabel u t-tieletnett, li min xtraha llum għamel deċiżjoni tajba ta’ negozju.2

Eh, orrajt mela. Serraħt rasi, kollox sew.

Din x’loġika bażwija hi? Din it-transazzjoni, fejn pittura ta’ 45ċm b’65ċm bidlet l-idejn għal somma daqshekk astronomika, kif tikkontribwixxi għal dinja jew soċjetà iktar ġusta?

Jien għandi ninsa r-ritratt li rajt ta’ dawk it-trabi għadma u ġilda fil-Yemen, minħabba li l-fruntieri tiegħu huma magħluqin mis-Saudi Arabja anke għal vjaġġi umanitarji?3 Irrid ninsa wkoll li $10 tixtri tiġieġa ħajja li tipprovdi l-proteini għal ħafna żmien lil tfal u familji fqar, u ta’ sors ta’ dħul?4

Jien meta kont żgħir tgħallimt li s-sistema soċjalista mhix tajba, għax ma tħajjarx lil min jieħu inizjattiva. Tgħallimt ukoll li s-sistema komunista mhix tajba, għax ma tippermettix li jkollok il-proprjeta. Tgħallimt li f’dawn is-sistemi, jkollok il-ftit li b’xi mod jakkumulaw il-ġid kollu huma, u l-bqija jkunu fil-faqar. Aħjar is-sistema kapitalista.

U hawn aħna illum, fejn is-sistema kapitalista, u varjanti tagħha, nfirxet madwar id-dinja, u l-ftit (1%) għandhom ġid daqs il-bqija tal-popolazzjoni (99%).5 Sistema fejn plejer tal-futbol wieħed (Neymar) jiġi trasferit minn klabb għall-ieħor għal somma ta’ terz ta’ biljun dollaru Awstraljan (222 miljun Ewro) u jitħallas nofs miljun Ewro fil-ġimgħa, biex jagħti daqqiet ta’ sieq lil ballun.6

Il-kapitaliżmu hija s-sistema li fiha l-ġid, jgħidu xi ekonomisti, jispiċċa jqattar l-isfel biex jibbenefika kulħadd (trickle down economics). Intom din bħali tfakkarkom fid-diskussjoni ta’ Ġesu mal-mara ta’ Kana (Mt 15:27), fejn qaltlu li anke l-klieb jieklu l-frak li jaqgħu mill-mejda ta’ sidhom? Jien inħobbhom lill-klieb, imma fis-sistema kapitalista, id-99% meqjusin klieb?

Jien qed inħoss mewġa ta’ għarfien madwar id-dinja li s-sistema ekonomika predominanti tal-lum, dik kapitalista, qiegħda twassal għal inġustizzji u diżugwaljanzi kbar, li l-ftit irnexxielhom jistagħnew, u bil-kbir ukoll, u l-kotra jkollha titqanna, u malajr tirċievi xi tgħajjira bħall-istqarrija tal-ex Ministru tal-Finanzi Awstraljan, Joe Hockey, li ta’ parir lil min huwa fqir biex isib xogħol aħjar! Mur obsor!

Jien inħoss li ħafna mill-problemi ta’ faqar u miżerja ta’ madwar id-dinja huwa possibbli li jiġu solvuti, bil-mezzi li għandha llum. Ma jissolvewx għax rieda tajba, minn min jista’, u mill-mexxejja ta’ madwar id-dinja, m’hemmx biżżejjed.

U ma ninsewx ukoll li fid-demokraziji li ħafna mill-Maltin jgħixu fihom, il-mexxejja, li jiktbu r-regoli li s-soċjetà timxi bihom, aħna stess nagħżluhom. Il-mazz f’idejna, fil-fatt.

1https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2017/nov/15/leonardo-da-vinci-salvator-mundi-auction, retrieved 28/11/2017

2http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/why-592-million-for-this-da-vinci-painting-is-a-good-business-decision-20171116-gzn4wa.html, retrieved 28/11/2017

3http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/11/15/50000-yemeni-children-will-die-end-year-aid-group-warns/, retrieved 28/11/2017

4https://www.worldvision.com.au/gifts/products/FoodIncome/18-CHICKENS-AND-EGGS, retrieved 28/11/2017