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March 2015 |
You may have an acute case of dragon sickness. At the beginning of the movie The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins’ lifestyle epitomizes the “goods” life. He is self-centred and seeks an easy-going life acquiring all the material comforts and pleasures that life has to offer. This sounds like an attractive way of life for which many strive. In fact, ethical systems of hedonism and utilitarianism have been developed to support and rationalize such lifestyles. So, what is the problem here? In The Hobbit, Smaug, the dragon, lives inside Lonely Mountain, which is filled with treasures of precious metals and jewels. Think about it, of what practical use is all this wealth for a dragon? He becomes so attached to this wealth that he goes berserk when he finds one little trinket missing. Many people view pleasure, wealth, power, and being held in high esteem by others as the fount of happiness. The problem then is that one becomes a slave to such things and ends up being controlled by them: the possession possesses the possessor! Dragon sickness is an addiction or inordinate pursuit of and attachment to wealth (lust of the flesh), pleasure (lust of the eyes), honour and admiration (lust for power) that we believe would bring us happiness. Dragon sickness is a seductive and insidious moral disorder or mental sickness that leads to unhappiness. We yearn to possess wealth, social position, public prestige, professional appointments, self-affirmation and validation by others as the aim in life. Not only do these things “possess” us, but they involve endless worries and disappointments, especially when there is a danger of losing them. In other words, we lose our freedom and become victims at the mercy of people’s opinion or the prevailing ideologies. UWI’s latest co-curricular course, Ethics and Integrity: Building Moral Competencies attempts to cure dragon sickness by taking you on a journey from self-deception to self-knowledge and self-possession, and ultimately to self-giving or enlightened self-interest using the latest teaching pedagogy (theories and methods) and andragogy (practices) that incorporate principles and virtues. Surendra Arjoon, PhD, is a Professor of Business & Professional Ethics in the Department of Management Studies, UWI St. Augustine. |
Are you preoccupied with being wealthy; with fame; with popularity; with hiding your age and showing up always in the latest fashion? Is it your biggest priority to make ‘friends’ with people who can be useful to you, to pursue a comfort-seeking life, and to be always trendy? Would you attend a wedding just for the food and drink? Do you get upset when you don’t get your way; if someone gives you a bad-drive; if your children don’t behave the way you expect; if someone speaks ill of you; if you didn’t get that promotion you deserved; if life does not turn out how you want; if you have a lousy, victimizing lecturer who does not prepare his or her work; if your best friend betrays you; when someone you don’t like gets a promotion or gets to the top by using some illicit means? Do you often make choices at any cost because you believe they would make you happy but they ultimately turn out to be poor choices?