THOU SHALT NOT COVET:

Path to Riches (But No Coveting) (CHRIS HEDGES, December 24, 2002, NY Times)

Americans spend an estimated $2.4 billion a year on the self-help industry, buying books such as Mr. Robbins's "Unlimited Power" and "Awaken the Giant Within" and attending lectures and seminars. In Mr. Robbins's meetings, participants break boards--the things participants fear are written on the wood--karate-style. They walk on hot coals, something known as the fire walk. And they stand in convention centers, pump their fists in the air and sing along with the Tina Turner song "Simply the Best." Many of his followers return to event after event. They can repeat his aphorisms and inspirational sayings by heart.

Mrs. Adey says that the desire for wealth is not an end in itself. She says she hopes to attain wealth to do good. She does not see him, or the techniques he teaches, as ones that are about coveting the rich and the powerful.

"Tony does not teach people to covet," she said. "Many people may come to his programs to learn to make more money. While they are there they begin to get the deeper message, the message that we all have something valuable to give back. People may feel they need a level of financial security before they begin thinking about giving their contribution to the world. This is the door Tony opens. People then make their own decision about whether they will go through that door or not."

Like many motivational guides, much of the message is about belief in yourself, in your capacity to do what you want and to achieve what you want. "Leadership is the capacity to significantly influence the thoughts and actions of others," she said. "I am dissatisfied with being excellent. I want to be outstanding."

The commandment against coveting warns against devoting energy to acquiring goods and possessions. Yet, the message to achieve wealth is the engine of a modern consumer society. The conflict between the commandment and the drive to consume is as much a conflict between the ethical demands of the ancient world and the practical reality of living in the modern one.

It seems like Mr. Hedges pretty badly misses the boat on this one. The commandment seems to warn us not about acquiring things or wanting them, but about wanting those things which belong to others. I've no idea what word is used in the original trext, but "covet" carries with it the idea that the thing longed for belongs to another.
Posted by Orrin Judd at December 27, 2002 12:45 PM