A short but mind boggling article yesterday spoke of an auction that made me ponder, “Really? Can money turn people into soulless, self-serving pigs that put themselves above an entire nation?” Pffft… silly, naive me. Of course it can.
Antiquorum Auctioneers are about to auction off Mahatma Gandhi’s old belongings, including his sandals, watch and trademark round glasses. Despite massive protests in India, spokesperson Michelle Halpern said, “the auction will go ahead…” It will happen later today, 5 March 2009.
Once again, money has spoken louder than history, culture or life. This goes against the denunciation of greed that the humble leader stood for. Gandhi’s belongings may have cost less than 20 dollars. Tomorrow, they will be auctioned off for 1,000 times higher. With all this publicity, it could skyrocket further.
Once again, the soulless left-brainers that run the world (and got us into the state we’re in today) will continue to fuel their obsession.
Once again, monetary value outweighs historical and cultural value. That means to say everything has a price – which inadvertently means so does human life.
Why do Antiquorum insist on the auction despite protests from the rightful owners of Gandhi’s belongings? Wouldn’t these items hold deeper meaning in India? Do affluence (and perhaps) nationality make 1 buyer more important than 1 billion people?
Tomorrow, a country will feel the pain while the fat cats at Antiquorum smugly pop champagne. Next year, Indians will still feel a sense of loss whenever they think about it. Next week, Antiquorum would already be too busy making money off other people’s talents or possessions to even remember the name Gandhi.
Some argue that the Indian government deserves it for not helping the poor. What kind of argument is that? Punish the government by taking something away from the people? That would make as much sense as solar-powered torch lights.
The ideal scenario would be that these items sit in museum as proud parents tell their children about their nation’s hero, or as locals look on with pride while people from around the world muse at the personal belongings of this world icon.
But none of that is going to happen now is it? Come tomorrow, these items will go to one single individual.
It could go two ways. If the highest bidder has a shred of appreciation for heritage, these items could well be donated back to India. I can only pray that this be the case.
However, the highest bidder could also turn out to be a complete doofus, with more dollars than brain cells and culturally shallower than the Azov Sea coastline at low tide. I cringe at the thought of his first phone call: “Yee-haw, bay-beh! I got it! I got Ben Kingsley’s glasses!”
___
To commemorate today, let’s make every 5 March “Screw Heritage Day”. Got something valuable your grandmother gave you? Pawn it. Especially if she’s dead. The money will bring you happiness.
