General English

(COM 101A)

WHERE WEALTH ACCUMALATES MEN DECAY

Sania Jamal Husain 2007-1-71-7501 Semester 1 Fall 2007 Section: A

18th December 2007

Submitted to: Dr. K. M. Larik

Down the ages, history has time and again shown decadence of courts where there has been an unaccountable accumulation of wealth. The amassing of wealth increases as one acquires more and more of it. This has been evident in the history where kings spent uselessly on their dreams or even in the recent times when rulers or even celebrities have indulged in pointless craze.

The renaissance which was synonymous of the Golden era of the French dynasty came crashing down when the proletariat, having suffered indiscriminately at the hands of the nobility surged in protest and brought about the French revolution which changed the dynamics of the power and the workings of it in France. The nobles lead lives in utmost opulence which was totally unimaginable by a common man. The French courts was far removed from the reality and suffering of the peasants. Time was spent in building attractive architectures, dressing lavishly, entertaining guests, splurging wealth on themselves and indulging in their most bizarre dreams. While the nobility enjoyed the comforts of their velvets and silks, the peasants raged a battle with hunger and starving cold. The royalty and nobles were ignorant to the needs of the deprived and when the Queen of France, Mary Antoinette who was considered as one of the most remembered yet misunderstood women in history, was informed that the peasants did not have bread, she replied Let them eat cake. She and the royalty with their selfishness, greed, excessiveness and cold-heartedness, did not realize that the world of hungry deprived souls existed outside the palace walls and this was the beginning of a violent turn of events. In fall of

1789, after several important incidents took place, a mob forced the royal family from Versailles to the Tuileries Palace in Paris where they were virtual prisoners for the next two years. Thus marking the end of the French Renaissance as wealth blinded the royalty from realizing the pitiable commoners state and the empire started to crumble. The Roman Empire too had emerged from the Roman Republic as a result of the rise of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar who commenced the rapid transformation of the state from a republic into a monarchy. They treated the Roman Empire as the world or rather the world was the Empire. This Empire reached its zenith in the second century AD and it became the most powerful state in the world however as fate would have it from that point onwards the fortunes slowly declined with many restorations and rivals that hindered the progress. Romans were known to invade lands and raid houses of rich nobles and that is how wealth in the Empire grew. However being dependent on plunder from its conquests which had essentially come to an end the Empire began to crumble and as economic crisis hit thecountry it weakened it even further. Forces outside the Roman Empire which were eating away at the Empire itself. Although Rome ultimately fell in A.D. 476, its decline was a process that had been going on for centuries. And regardless of whether we accept the fact that Rome fell as a result of internal pressure or invasions from the outside, or both at one and the same time, one thing is abundantly clear: Rome fell, and did so with a loud noise. Roman strengths eventually became Roman weaknesses as accumulating wealth was all that mattered. The Roman Empire started to disintegrate due to factors of Christianity, monetary trouble and military problems. The Romans were used to hoarding as they

coddled themselves with fine linen, gladiators to show their caliber with lions, construct intricate yet beautiful chariots for racing and laying down lavish meals for one whereas they could feed a family of pesants. The Mughals of the Sub-continent were perhaps the greatest spendthrifts of all times. The Mughal era had reached the zenith of its glory after which it started to decline of its power. Emperors such as Jehangir, Humayun and Bahadur Shah Zafar, spent innumerable amounts of wealth on courtesans, lavish cuisines, beautiful carpets and paintings, intricate architecture that is still evident today. The Mughals had reached the indestructible and invincible stage as they had attained the pinnacle and glory of their power. They enjoyed relaxing in their warm posh mahals (palaces), while the poor witnessed the bitter cold on the hard streets; they fell in trance to the sweet music while the poor could hear the sounds of their stomachs grumble; their wardrobes of silk, cotton, velvet and innumerable jewellery, was unimaginative by the common man who had just one piece of clothing. The peasants are like the kings but just not as rich. Mughals have been known worldwide for decades as being squanderers of wealth and not catering to the masses needs that stood outside the walls of their grandeur palaces. This was when the revolution took place that washed away every iota of their glory into smithereens.

Down the timeline decadence of man has existed throughout. Today we see individuals who have worked day and night to acquire a million dollar empire have offsprings who take all this for advantage and are unable to contribute positively to a particular

organization or society. Many at times they are considered poor little rich boy / girl and very often do we hear about their irresponsible, trash behaviour on their part. Most of these rich kids have serious behaviourial disorders, be it Paris Hiltons partying frenzy or Lindsay Lohans drunken driving. Their lavishly decorated lives revolve around partying, strings of failed relationships and casual affairs and for them the masses of wealth is a source to fuel their superficial lives, whereas their fortune in birth to a family of such affluence could have been used for a much worthier cause. Why should one sympathize where they have never known what deprivation is. They have acquired everything and anything they have laid their hands on and much more.

Those who have the have and have nots indulge immensely in their wealth and forget whether a world outside their money exist. One doesnt grudge their money and wealth but hen its used to feed inane whims it creates jealously towards and yet pity for such individuals. An example is when the attractive rockstar Britney Spears charters her private jet to another city to just to fetch a cup of coffee! It would be funny if not so ridiculous that thousands of dollars would be spent on a cup of coffee.

Be it an industrialist, a CEO of a company, a great artist, there is always a point of decline in life. Here in Pakistan, the list of riches individuals and most of who we have heard includes the names of Shahbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. But then again look at what position they are today, living in exile and not obtaining the respect from every individual. This is the outcome of what the hoarding and greed for hoarding has done

to man. Riches either serve or govern the possessor. Those who can acquire and handle wealth without damaging their dignity are the people who are far from decadence unlike those who see the growing wealth and yet crave for more. The goal of every culture is to decay through over-civilization; the factors of decadence, -- luxury, skepticism, weariness and superstition, -- are constant. The civilization of one epoch becomes the manure of the next. Cyril Connolly (English critic and editor, 1903-1974)