A dairy farmer in the state of Maine is facing the financial ruin of his 100-year-old dairy farm because milk from his cows was proven to be tainted with harmful chemicals from a questionable source (Reuters, March 19, 2019). Subsequent testing showed the harmful chemicals are present in ground water and soil on the farm, and public health officials believe the contamination is associated with a fertilizer program that the farm participated in from the 1980s through the early 2000s.
In 2016—the most recent year for which global statistics are available—roughly 9.5 million people died from heart disease (World Health Organization). About six million died from stroke and three million died from lung diseases. The same year, the top ten causes of death worldwide resulted in just under 31 million deaths.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah has apparently warned his top generals in a secret meeting that “there will be a war with Israel this summer and that he may not be around to support them”—because he and other top officials may be killed by Israel in the near future (Jerusalem Post, April 21, 2019).
We can all desire a commodity, an improvement or achievement, without being driven by greed. Greed is more than desire. It is, as the definition stated, a craving for MORE than one needs. It is often associated with a desire for acquisition, position or recognition at any expense, regardless of whom it may harm. There are some in society who view greed as a positive motivator of Western economic development. Is it possible to determine if our present society has a problem with greed?
Has the traditional family unit, or the concept of family in general, become obsolete? Like it or not, there is no debate that the structure of the average family is very different than 50, 25 or even 10 years ago. At what cost? At what cost to the individuals immediately affected, especially children? And at what cost to humanity as a whole as we try to retain society while removing one of its core foundations—the family? Does Family Matter?