"receive the kingdom of God as a little child" - Money vs. Religion

 Night in Tokyo around the Imperial Palace...

Money vs. Religion

The biggest invention in the human history is "money."

Mankind did invent money for convenience or as an inevitable result of their economic activities.

Money was powerful.  Money was decisive. And money was institutional.  But, behind money there were a fiend and many devils.  So, mankind needs something to prevent influences of devils sneaking to them along with prevalence of money.

So, I once wrote:

When money economy started to prevail in China around 500 B.C., Confucius appeared there. 

When money economy started to prevail in India around 500 B.C., the Buddha appeared there. 

After money economy started to prevail in Palestine or around Jerusalem through the era of Caesar and Cleopatra, Jesus Christ appeared there as so expected.
http://eereporter.blogspot.com/2009/10/freely-ye-have-received-freely-give.html

In this context, we can understand why Christ Jesus emerged at the specific point of history in a specific place, namely 2000 years ago in a subject state of Ancient Rome.  For example, the greatest hero of Rome Caesar succeeded in society using big money even before he distinguished himself  on the field of battle to be recognized as the No.1 citizens of Rome.

But could it have been possible that mankind would have developed its society without money?

（The Pre-Inca Culture Exhibition in Japan, http://www.aurora-net.or.jp/art/dokinbi/exhi/special/11/sican.html）

Weren't there any other scenarios that mankind developed its civilization without invention of money?  The Inca Empire of South America, which was destroyed by Spaniards in 1572, prospered for centuries without using money but governing and well feeding 10 million people and constructing some great structures.  Yet, they could not withstand invasion by Europeans driven by desire to steal gold from Inca by force, if they called themselves Christians.

In Europe, with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, money economy was interrupted.

http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/tazyonoshinso/diary/201111080000/

(Ancient Rome...)

Probably, this is the most significant effect of the downfall of the Western Roman Empire.  It was in 755 that some European kings started to use coins again. They followed a measure system of ancient Rome.  Coins were mostly used for payment to soldiers.   So, roughly from the 5th century to the 8th century, Europeans did not use money; economy of Europe was localized in each domain of feudal lords.  So, modern Europeans today living are much closer to ancient Romans than to medieval Europeans.

(Europe in the Middle Ages, http://www.the-artfile.com/ArtFile/history/middleages/images/feudal.shtml)

But, it was when an Islamic influence came to prevail in the era of Christian Crusades that money economy was fully revived in Europe.   Ironically, the Vatican itself paved the way for money economy again in Europe by launching Crusades.  Great movement of Europeans across the European Continent to the Middle East changed their paradigms.  As Muslims and Arabs continued money economy without interruption since the era of the Roman Empire and the Greek Civilization, medieval Europeans' communications with Muslims resulted in full revival of money economy in Europe.  And, the Vatican could not stop it.

(The Renaissance, http://wcchai15.blogspot.com/2010/10/driving-forces-of-renaissance.html)

However till the 13th century, Europe used only one type of coins: a 1.5 gram silver coin.  But around the 13th century with expansion of trade, Europeans started to use gold coins and large-size silver coins.  In other world for 800 years from the 5th century to the 13th century, Europeans did not use coins at all or used only one type of silver coins.   Their economic paradigm must be very different from the one modern Europeans have.  Anyway, Christianity truly prevailed in these 800 years in Europe, since Christianity is purely anti-money economy.

So, around 2000 or 2010, development of money economy hit its summit.  Mankind has experienced evil of money enough.  It is time for mankind to enter a new era directed to non-money economy.  As the Second Coming of Christ has started around 2010, it is reasonable for mankind to get prepared for non-money economy as the first step toward the Kingdom of God.

(Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge - Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images, http://bailoutpeople.org/dropchargesonwallstoccupiers.shtml)

In the longest extension of Occupy Wall Street is the non-money economy.  And in the non-money economy, 99% of people will live materially and spiritually satisfied without money though 1% might still stick to money that can buy only what 99% do not like to get and possess.

(Japanese Cartoon Comic Story "UTOPIA - The Last World War," http://twitpic.com/6cecv0)



(To be continued...)

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Mar 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.




   

"receive the kingdom of God as a little child" - Great America?

Tokyo Ginza...

Great America?

Americans usually have no intention to take responsibility in the world.

They want to be No.1 in the world, but they have no intention to take responsibility in the world.

They want to be a millionaire if they do not mind being No.1 in the world,  but they have no intention to take responsibility in the world.

They want to enjoy life if they cannot become a millionaire, but they have no intention to take responsibility in the world.

That is why the world cannot get rid of various types of problems ranging from global economy to global security.

But, if they take responsibility in the world, what would they have to do?


Moody's Misery Index

Greece has not necessarily been the worst country in terms of national misery.

But, the UK and the US are really close to the state of Greece, according to a certain measure.


http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1018682.shtml


What FRB Said in January

FRB might be an honest organization but with insufficient ability to prevent any large-scale financial crisis.

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. economy ended last year on an encouraging note, with all parts of the country showing improvements. Factories produced more, shoppers spent more and companies hired more. All those signs point to a stronger economy in 2011. 

That's the picture that emerges from the Federal Reserve's survey of nationwide economic conditions released Wednesday. 

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is optimistic that the economy will strengthen this year, but warned last week that it will take up to five years for unemployment, now at 9.4 percent, to drop to a historically normal level of around 6 percent. 

Still, risks loom. Declining home prices and millions of foreclosures are depressing housing markets around the country, the survey says. Rising gasoline prices also could drag on the economy, Bernanke says.http://www.aolnews.com/2011/01/12/federal-reserve-economy-ends-2010-on-strong-note/

As the unemployment at a 9% level has continued for three years, people have started to join Occupy Wall Street.  Then what will happen when this level of joblessness has continued for 6 years or 9 years in the present-day America?  Occupy Congress?  Occupy the White House? Or Occupy Apple?


Occupy The System

If you occupy a public park in a district where Wall Street is situated, nothing changes.

But, if you can occupy the computer systems used in Wall Street, you may change something.  Wall Street companies rely on sophisticated computer systems in their business.  Suppose if they all use Windows OS in their computers and you can lawfully remote control the OS, you may occupy lawfully the computer systems used in Wall Street.  Then, as it will cost an unbearable amount of money for Wall Street companies to do away with Windows OS and introduce a new system, they will listen to you lawfully.

However, they already took necessary measures to prevent such a risk.  You cannot lawfully occupy the computer systems they use.

However, there is another system in which Wall Street does business.  It is a social system of the U.S.  But, it is not a simple legal framework or a general scheme of conduct in business.

But, there must be a system in the American Society that enables Wall Street to function so well.  And, if you occupy the system lawfully, they will have to follow you.

But, what is the system?  It might be like gravity nobody realized till Newton claimed its existence for million years.  You may try to find it.


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One foolish thing about Japan is that so many paddy fields and rice fields have been abandoned because people do not take rice but eat beef and other foods imported from the world.

On the other hand, prices of rice are set high to support life of rice growing farmers.  Those farmers cannot compete with, say, the American agriculture industry producing so much rice at low costs.

The agriculture is one of major social and economic problems in Japan.  And, now the Japanese Government is requested to open the domestic agriculture market to the U.S. and so on.  It will decide the fate of the incumbent Noda Cabinet.

But more foolishly, by 2020 it is expected that 30% of global production of corns will be consumed for production of biofuel while 900 million people are starving in the world.

It is extremely foolish that mankind does not put more resources into development of agriculture and preservation of the nature than into development of weapons and luxury products, such as iPad.

Evil comes out of selfish motivation of people to enrich themselves in this world but not in Heaven.  But how long will the God overlook this foolishness of mankind?  Something terrible could happen at any time.  Mankind cannot have a game with the God.  Mankind cannot challenge the God to win.  Civilization that lacks enough fear of the God will surely perish sooner or later.




Mar 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

"they brought young children to him" - What Euro Crisis Proves

Around Tokyo...

What Euro Crisis Proves 


Though the Japanese yen gets so stronger against the US dollar, the dollar is strengthening its value against currencies of South Korea, India, Brazil, and South Africa as well as against euro.



It is said that FRB provided dollar bills worth $100 billion in 2008.  The monetary base of the US dollars has been increasing ever since.  There are now so many US dollars in the money market not only within the U.S. but also in the wider world.  But the US dollar gets stronger than other currencies, including euro, except a few such as the Japanese yen.

It proves how bad the economic state of EU is.  It also indicates how much the emerging countries, such as South Korea, India, and Brazil, depend on Europe.

In other aspect, the U.S. and the E.U. might be competing for future initiatives. And, the prospect of Europe is not so good as America's is.  This is what the recent trend of the foreign exchange market implies.  It also tells the future of the U.S. still looks more promising than that of those emerging countries, such as BRICs, though the unemployment in the U.S. is more than 9%.

Hidden factors are of course Japan and China.  So far, it looks like that Japan and China are supporting the U.S.  No matter how the American elites regard Japan and China, both the global No.2 economies are on the American side in terms of the financial issue.  But, the E.U. is far from Japan.  More specifically, G2 of America and Japan are now withstanding the euro crisis. This combination is highly appraised.  So, the US dollar gets strong than euro and BRIC currencies; the Japanese yen gets stronger than the US dollar.  And, in terms of industry and trade, Japan and the U.S. are behind China, though China exports more to Europe than to America.

So, the Greek crisis tells that the future is still in the hand of G2 of Japan and the U.S. rather than other G20 countries.


(to be continued...)

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The most accessed postings in this blog this week:

NORTTH KOREA vs. JAPANESE ABDUCTEES Jun 27, 2008 Historical Analysis on the Senkaku Islands Oct 24, 2010 "in the temple as he taught" - (Roman Soldiers) Jul 28, 2011 "the seven angels which had the seven trumpets" - ... Aug 6, 2011 Harry Potter and Princess Diana in 1997 Jul 24, 2008

Mar 10:13 And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.
Mar 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

"salute it" - US vs. China

Around Tokyo....

US vs. China

[Updated on Nov. 29, 2011]

Like a mad man, the U.S. started to import so many goods from China after 2001.  This trend has continued for a decade to put a huge amount of dollars in the hand of China.

http://spfaust.wordpress.com/2011/02/12/us-exports-to-china-are-just-growing-ridiculously-really-yes%E2%80%A6-but-no/

 Meantime, China like a mad man started to manufacture cars in such a large amount.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/243620-automobile-production-china-vs-u-s

The trends of export and import of the US with China are as follows:

http://wp.slash-reader.com/2011/06/%E7%B1%B3%E5%9B%BD%E3%81%AE%E5%AF%BE%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD%E3%81%AE%E8%BC%B8%E5%87%BA%E3%83%BB%E8%BC%B8%E5%85%A5%E9%A1%8D%E6%8E%A8%E7%A7%BB/

Surprisingly, the gap between export from the US to China is so small compared with its import form China.

Indeed, American consumers should realize that Wal-Mart in 2002 did local-buying in China in an mount of $1.2 billion.  The share of Chinese goods in the total sales of Wal-Mart reached 95% in this year.

Alternately, the Economic Policy Institute estimates that between 2001 and 2006, Wal-Mart’s trade deficit with China alone eliminated nearly 200,000 U.S. jobs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walmart

Accordingly, "Occupy Wal-Mart and Chinese Embassy" seems to be more reasonable than "Occupy Wall Street."

*** ***

Recently a Chinese technician working in the U.S. got a call from a rich household.

There lived an old woman alone in a very expensive house in a well protected high-class residential district for rich people.  The Chinese man fixed a telecommunications network problem in the house.  Then the old woman started to beat the price for his work.  He made concession, since she was roughly of the same age as his mother and she looked like loving a PC.  Then, the old rich woman asked him to fix a troubled window in the next room.  He did not refuse it, though he started to feel thirsty.  The temperature in the house was set higher, probably because her health needed it.  He wondered if he should ask for water, though he did not because she did no look like taking a hint from his look.  Finally, he finished the work.  He went out of the house, rushed to his car, got in, and took a bottle of water to drink in haste.  

The kind Chinese technician repented having given her discount, and thought that any Chinese clients would give him a glass of water in such a situation.  He assured himself that he liked the Chinese way much better than this American way.

(http://news.searchina.ne.jp/disp.cgi?y=2011&d=0929&f=national_0929_163.shtml)

*** ***

Appendix. Chinese Students in the US from Families of Chinese Leaders

Chinese elite politicians shamelessly send their sons and daughters to elite universities and colleges in the US, disconnecting their love and ties with hundreds of millions of poor Chinese.

Proud Americans however, though, have come to feel some problems.

The way I would put it, there's a deep ambivalence about Americans. Chinese leaders send their sons and daughters in great numbers here to study. Many of their sons and daughters are living long term in the United States, opening businesses. I think there's great respect for American technological and financial wizardry, great admiration. The Chinese characters for the United States are the "Beautiful Country." The traditional name for San Francisco is "Old Gold Mountain." There's this image of the United States as a beautiful, powerful, clever nation and I think that's the dominant sentiment -- for the United States, in a sense, to be a role model for China. 

But when the Chinese define you as a teacher or a role model, they expect the teacher to be deferential and considerate of the student. And so, often, Chinese people see the United States acting in what they believe is an arrogant, thoughtless way that basically is designed to keep China down. So there's this admiration that competes with this sense of victimhood, this sense of "You don't respect us," sort of what we call the Rodney Dangerfield-"I-don't-get-no-respect" kind of view of the United States. So I think it's deeply ambivalent. But, on balance, the prevailing sentiment is very positive.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/china/interviews/lampton.html

Yet, American rich men welcome these young Chinese in schools in America.  Such Americans might be thinking that future China would respect the US in the frame work of student-teacher relationships.  But could it be so simple?  It is so since wealth that support living of Chinese students in America is from hundreds of millions of low-paid hard working Chinese.

In Communist China, the top leadership contains few persons educated in the United States: the Cold War period made for tenuous China-America links and the Cultural Revolution disrupted academic exchanges with the rest of the world. However, the middle ranks of the People's Republic of China government contain very large numbers of people who received their education in the United States, and a graduate degree from an American university has become an important benefit to political and economic career advancement. In addition, the sons and daughters of many Chinese political leaders, such as Jiang Zemin, are students in the United States. With the leadership transition to the fourth generation of Chinese leaders under Hu Jintao, American educated Chinese officials are increasingly found in powerful positions.
http://www.chinahistoryforum.com/index.php?/topic/4597-overseas-chinese-reference/

For example, China has no scientists who was awarded a Nobel prize.  But Japan has some.  And all of these Japanese scientists were educated in Japan, from primary schools to universities, where only the Japanese language is used for every subject, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, medical science, etc.

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Mat 10:12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
Mat 10:13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.


   

"into whatsoever city or town" - Truth of the $1 Trillion War on Terror

So Great Tokyo...
(Click to enlarge.)


Truth of the $1 Trillion War on Terror

What has made those gathering on Wall Street suffer for long is $1 trillion.

But where has it been spent by the U.S. Government?  Yes, the War on Terror!


0.  Before 2011


Mr. W. Bush probably did not have anything to do with Princess Diana's death in Paris in 1997.  But, Osama bin Laden, his associates, and henchmen must have been influenced by the incident since an Egyptian was involved in Diana's death.  And, that Egyptian was a nephew of a notable Arab arms dealer close to the Bush family and the bin Laden clan.

(Click to enlarge.)


1.  Before Sept. 11

President Mr. W. Bush did not show any enthusiasm to pursue and capture Osama bin Laden as a matter of fact.

The August 6, 2001, President's Daily Briefing Memo

White House Fact Sheet: "The August 6, 2001 PDB Entitled "bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US", April 10, 2004. 

White House Briefing on Release of the August 6, 2001 President's Daily Brief Excerpt "Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in U.S.", April 10, 2004... 

CNN reports that the "White House declassified and released Saturday the daily intelligence briefing delivered to President Bush a month before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001." [3] 

"Portions of the intelligence report dealing with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network and dated August 6, 2001, have been redacted for national security reasons, the White House said. 

"The memo, titled 'Bin Laden determined to attack inside the United States,' had been described by the White House as a largely historical document with scant information about domestic al Qaeda threats. 

"The memo includes intelligence on al Qaeda threats as recent as three months before the attacks. 

"Much of the intelligence was uncorroborated, and nothing in the memo points directly to the September 11 attacks. 

"Highlights of the report include:
- An intelligence report received in May 2001 indicating that al Qaeda was trying to send operatives to the United States through Canada to carry out an attack using explosives. That information had been passed on to intelligence and law enforcement agencies. 

- An allegation that al Qaeda had been considering ways to hijack American planes to win the release of operatives who had been arrested in 1998 and 1999. 

- An allegation that bin Laden was set on striking the United States as early as 1997 and through early 2001. 

- Intelligence suggesting that suspected al Qaeda operatives were traveling to and from the United States, were U.S. citizens, and may have had a support network in the country. 

- A report that at least 70 FBI investigations were under way in 2001 regarding possible al Qaeda cells/terrorist-related operations in the United States.
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=August_6%2C_2001%2C_President%27s_Daily_Briefing_Memo

(Click to enlarge.)

2. After Sept. 11

President Mr. W. Bush did not show any enthusiasm to pursue and capture Osama bin Laden as a matter of fact.

U.S. Refusal of 2001 Taliban Offer Gave bin Laden a Free Pass  

By Gareth Porter* 

"You know, I just don't spend that much time on him," Bush said of bin Laden at a Mar. 13, 2002 press conference. 

WASHINGTON, May 3, 2011 (IPS) - When George W. Bush rejected a Taliban offer to have Osama bin Laden tried by a moderate group of Islamic states in mid- October 2001, he gave up the only opportunity the United States would have to end bin Laden's terrorist career for the next nine years.... 

The new Taliban negotiating offer came almost immediately after the U.S. began bombing Taliban targets on Oct. 7, 2001. The fear of the bombing – and what was likely to follow – evidently spurred the Taliban leadership to be more forthcoming on bin Laden.  

But Bush brusquely rejected any talks on the Taliban proposal, declaring, "They must have not heard. There's no negotiations."  

Bush rejected the Taliban offer despite the fact that U.S. intelligence had picked up reports in the previous months of deep divisions within the Taliban regime over bin Laden. It was because of those reports that Bush had authorised secret meetings by a CIA officer with a high-ranking Taliban official in late September.http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=55476

So, at this moment, namely one month after the 9/11 Terror, the U.S. Government had a chance to solve the Al Qaeda/Osama bin Laden issue with very low costs, since the Taliban was somewhat cooperative.  If they had taken Osama bin Laden into custody under the Taliban authority, it would have cost only a few billion dollars for the U.S. to take away the fear of further attacks by the terrorists on the mainland USA.  Then, the U.S. Government could have spent $1 trillion for domestic economic development, subsidies for small businesses, and social welfare projects.  It should have made life of more American workers easier, though China would still sell a huge amount of cheap products to American businesses, such as Wal-Mart.  But, $1 trillion is something that could have helped 99% Americans more.


3. Showdown in May 2011

There are still some enigmas as to how and why the intelligence/security sector of the U.S. Government pushed President Mr. Obama into going for taking on Osama bin Laden immediately after a special ceremony of a son of the late Princess Diana.

How Much Did it Cost to Find Osama bin Laden?
By Life's Little Mysteries Staff 02 May 2011 6:07 PM ET 

Since September 11, 2001, the United States has spent nearly $1.3 trillion funding the combined "War on Terror" in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Congressional Research Service. 

Although the goal of capturing Osama bin Laden, the terrorist who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks, was inextricably linked to these wars, it's difficult to say at this point just how much of the $1.283 trillion that Congress has so far approved was used for that purpose. But we can make a fairly accurate estimate for how much the it cost to locate bin Laden's secret lair in Pakistan leading up to the raid that lead to his death. 

It's much less than you might think. 

According to independent security analysts and defense technology experts, the intelligence-gathering portion of the operation--which included drone aerial surveillance as well as traditional wire tapping techniques--probably cost only a few million dollars.
http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/cost-find-kill-osama-bin-laden-1634/

The expense of the War, that is,  $1 trillion the US Government spent for the War on Terror, has not been however distributed among Iraqi people and the Afghan people, though the main theater of the War was there.  The money has been finally into pockets of executives and stakeholders of American businesses that provide equipment and services for the US Government and military.  So, it can be estimated that one million millionaires get each one million dollars eventually through the War on Terror.

*** *** *** ***

Put simply, the recent US history has changed as follows:

IT Bubble Burst --> 9/11 Terror --> Excess Credit Offering --> Excess Military Spending --> Chinese Cheap Labor --> Lehman Shock --> 9% Joblessness for Three Years

So, to fix the matter, even around Wall Street,  it must track back to the era of the American IT bubble which is also rooted in the launching of Windows 95 OS in 1995.

Refer to: http://eereporter.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post.html

By the way, the U.S. military employ two million people like Wal-Mart.  Indeed, the key to the US economy looks like being war and consumption.  It still looks like the Roman Empire which eventually collapsed...



Mat 10:11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.




    

"Nor scrip for your journey" - Working People

Great Tokyo...



Working People



Actual Working Hours per Year

(excluding overtime without pay)

Korea.....2256 hours

USA.....1792

JAPAN......1772

UK.....1653

Sweden....1625

France.....1544

Germany.....1430


OCCUPATION WALL STREET
Will Obama visit the Wall Street Occupation site to discuss the matter? Then who else will first?



Truth of The War on Terror
$1 trillion for the War on Terror was actually distributed among 1 million rich men, each taking $1 million, in my estimation.


Truth of Wall Street
Those having no jobs on Wall Street will be rewarded more than those having jobs on Wall Street eventually by God.


Christian Dream vs. American Dream
No one can serve two masters. You cannot serve both God and money. You must not serve Wall Street. You should serve your neighbors.



(to be continued...)


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Mat 10:10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.