The Sultan of Brunei syndrome

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First of all I have nothing against the Sultan of Brunei, the little oil rich country nestled in Malaysia. But it occured to me that the great "Ruling Ring" or overmastering temptation that faces the West - if not the rest of the world is the temptation to become essentially one's own sultan.

Imagine - (and how many of us don't?) what would you do if you were fabulously wealthy, owned and ruled your own peaceful little nation where your will and whim was Law? Now the real Sultan of Brunei is by all accounts a nice enough chap, but who among us hasn't wondered what we'd do if we won the big lotto?

Yet, even without being fantastically rich, modern society allows many people in America to live lifestyles virtually independent of anyone else...dependent only on the health and wealth of the individual and not on neighbors (most of whom we don't know) or fellow countrymen.

How many people work and then waste all their income and free time on fantasy, sports, hobbies, etc. that are essentially ego-centric past-times? Not that it's intrinsically evil to play games or build models or defeat enemies on some computer game... but the point is people in our day can and do live lives totally aloof - like Roman Emperors of old.

Back in the 1800's people could simply not indulge their every whim or conceivable lust - but today they can. With great power comes great responsibility but also great temptations. I wonder how many of us choose to be sultans rather than shepherds?

-- Joe Stong (joestong@yahoo.com), January 30, 2003

Answers

You wield some truth there, Joe.

The sermon on the mount in Matthew Chapter 5 through 7 is what all individuals need downloaded into the deepest parts of their souls.

-- Emerald (emerald1@cox.net), January 30, 2003.


Joe,

Thanks for the insightful post. It gives me a lot to think about, both in looking at society and evaluating how much I personally serve Jesus each day.

Though entertainment (TV, games, etc) aren't sinful, it's a strong temptation to allow ourselves to get into an entertainment "holding pattern" until we die.

Mateo

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), January 30, 2003.


I'm afraid I am too busy trying to lead my life as best I can to judge or worry about another's way of living. I leave that to God.

-- Thom (Tomstu@rpi.edu), January 31, 2003.

Joe! Good to see your input here! Your point hits many of right where we live. On the couch. Again, good to see you.

Tim aka Buttinzki

-- Buttinzki (tim_rum@msn.com), February 03, 2003.


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