Sad Phoenix
I need help, my friends –
must make some decisions that will change –
my life, the world – every citizen in it.
I am a serious. I hope everyone responds.
This will read like a fairy tail,
but truth is often that way.
I have been carrying a bit of knowledge with me
for close to 50 years – a secret. The way in which
I acquired this ‘gift/burden’ places ethical
constraints on my possibilities. Yet the conditions
of the world demand that I do something,
regardless of the personal price –
and I will
but ‘how to’ is not clear.
I cannot give exact details
without putting myself at risk –
just accept …
I know where there is an immense vein
of valuable metal to be mined. However,
the cost of extraction has always exceeded
any possible profit or risk investment.
that has changed …
and I am the only who guards this knowledge
I must find someone who can organize a company
to extract the ore – a huge investment with no
return for up to ten years – but no risk –
I have seen it, touched it, tasted it –
I can show it to others.
Who do I trust? The moment I reveal such knowledge
I am expendable – find me ‘gone missing’ in some ditch.
I would sell the information if I could,
but no one could pay a normal ‘fair’ price –
even a 25% ‘finder’s fee’ would make me
the richest man in the world,
many times over.
So, I could plan a trust or foundation,
with future earning from my ‘share’
financing a humanitarian organization
with the real ability to help millions of people.
We would need survival income along the way –
EM and I are not greedy but deserve something
for setting up the largest private institution in the world.
It would be exciting for those ten ‘waiting’ years
to explore all of the ways of helping people,
and eliminating many destructive ones –
giving people money does not help them long term,
giving scholarships to high school grads
who can’t so third grade math will not help,
the government is pathetically untrustworthy,
organized religions are little better –
because it suddenly becomes about power!!
I believe Em and I could handle the reins
while we are here – then what?
How do I set up something that does not
wind up being more destructive
than useful? Dare I?
Yet, how dare die with this knowledge
with the potential to make a real difference?
Even if I get nothing – tell me just who to pass
the baton to who can wield it.
Release me! But I shudder at the
terrible potential for misuse and abuse –
I don’t even want this current administration
to get a dime!
I don’t want to finance the next war
in an effort to support peace.
Sigh! Perhaps one of you has an answer.
I can just lie here, sleepless –
knowing that I MUST DO SOMETHING!!
A dream? No, very real.
I don’t like being poor,
I wouldn’t mind being wealthy,
but have no need to ‘buy things’.
What would you do?
What would you do with $5 Billion
a MONTH in salary?
Just joking … ;-)
It’s more than that
posted by faucon of Sakin'el @ 11:32 AM
19 comments
The 
19 Comments:
You have convinced me that being a person of modest means, such as myself, is the best way to be.
amen, lori!
faucon, if you wrote this as a prompt to elicit creative writing, it surely is that.
Conversely, if it is to be taken literally, this needs to be clarified...at least for me.
Two very different tacts are needed depending.
BeetleBug -- you can respond to both. By may nature I engender creation, and by training create dialectic discordance -- without even trying. If this prompts you to ask questions such, "what would I do if I won the Lottery?" so be it. This was not my intent
The story is absolutely true, and I must make a decision on how to free myself from the burdon, or enter a chain of events which would change my life -- it would be life consuming. I do need help.
That is why I posted amongst distant friends
Ok, I will attempt to address the latter, and in doing so may be evoke more of the former inherent intent:
The questions that I have are divided into two catagories of information. But, both are necessary in order for me to formulate a meaningful response:
Catagory One can be described as subjective for lack of a better word,
and Two as objective:
I will post each question as it comes to mind...
First in Catagory One:
How crucial to your existance is the "trust or foundation" you would establish? That is, is it all consuming? Something that you would be willing to go to hell and back to establish? Are you that devoted to the 'mission' as to sacrifice in that manner? Do you eat it, drink it sleep it?
Next in Catagory Two:
Other than "I have seen it, touched it, tasted it", do you have any analytical proof ie assay results, or geologic documentation as to it's existance? Do you know if it is contaminated with veins of toxic material such as asbestos, or chromium, or if it is itself a toxin?
Beetlebug 2. Very good questions. For the first one, part of me just doesn't want this fortune to wind up in the hands a few greedy miscreants. I would wish to have a reasonable portion used for humanitarian or ecological purposes. I would not know who to trust with this. I could do it -- and come to enjoy the lives I could change without being corrupted, but to do so would require full time dilegence and living a reclusive life.
Yes, the ore has been assayed and tested - in 1958. Former mining operarations in the area had no problem, but controls were different. Another problem is water. Most available water within 50 miles has been stolen by Los Angeles years ago. Bringing in 5,000 workers could not be supported by the existing infra structure. This just figures into the development cost -- which is why I delayed until the price of the metal is so high it may be justified.
If I decide to pursue this, I would have to go out, re-establish the claims and get new assay samples. I cannot afford to do this. I could make it a goal, but have to work out the ethical considerations first.
I am also exploring the new field of robotic mining. It is possible that some mining could be done immediately while the full scale operation is set up. Perhaps one of these companies would 'love' to use this as a test project without expecting all of the future profits.
Well, without knowing the details, it seems very unlikely that you would be able to carry through on your own. Just one factor alone the Gov. regs. especially EPA requirements/impact statements etc would drive a sane man crazy.
The only alternative that comes to mind would be to find a native american, registered, charitable organization and partner with them. Sometimes, native americans have a little more leeway within the buracracy. You would still have to work out the legal aspects to protect your interests, but you might have a better shot working within the umbrella of such an organization, which has access to resources out of your reach.
If you have been fortunate enough to bathe in it's reflection and in turn can reflect back how you appreciate the beauty of it, for an of itself. Perhaps it is enough to know such beauty exists, without raking up greed and using up energies that will srely net as much grief as joy, eventually what will you then be sure to have? will utimately it benefit your heirs but spend your life enrgies foolishly.
I'd say finding peace and contentment, even if it be that of a poor man, is all the accopmlishment a good man would need.
Yes, I had thought of some of the Indian Nations nearby -- and have some connections there. Unfortunately, such a burdon would destry and semblance of their closely had traditional life (perhaps for the better). Certaily, I would envision any corporation being set up to include their participation as a 'swing vote'.
I also consider the Catholic Church. With all of their other problems, they stil would provide an 'unshakable base'.
The catholic Church? Dear God, man, no.
Or are you working from the premise that the already incandescently corrupt can't become more corrupted?
Take Aletta's advice, she is an old soul who speaks well. Leave your El Dorado hidden. The earth has been goudged enough and I've yet to see any benefit to the poor and starving upon her.
Fauc.... don't know what to do with all your wealth? Write me a check... I just a poor greedy Angeleno.
:)
Aye Gail, no one to trust. Whatever I do -- and I would do some good, would cause others to feel cheated, or turm mild friends into hopeless crooks. I would choose the Church over Bush's Talaban Christian Right, but such a terrible choice.
I could wind up being the most hated man alive -- so why do I have a quandry?
Walk the Serpentine Raod with me.
Faucon: You are the superlative yarn-spinner-- you got a lot of folks believing that your story is true. Congratulations on a most imaginative way to voice your opinions. Maybe you can incorporate all this into your next book.
I wonder sometimes if anything I write is truly fiction, or if the truths I tell are filled will dilusion -- many times, it just 'flows through me.'
In this case, though -- it is the truth. See story on Serpentine Road. The process I am going through is called a 'Reflectic', described in my book "Phinominal Progengicks' -- and your comments serve as a reflection against which I can arrive at a balance of 'who I must be' to meet this challenge. It matters not what I eventually decide, only that I be at peace, (before the fact) with the consequences of my decision.
Well, if I were receiving 5 billion dollars a month, I wouldn't have a problem spending it. I'd give a chunk of it to breast cancer research which has killed a number of women I know personally OR I'd give it to glaucoma research which has destroyed the eye-site of many of my relatives and quite likely me too, OR give it to my local homeless shelter.... I don't know why so much angst. It wouldn't worry me what they all ultimately did with my donation,.... but I must be a shallow person.
When I read this faucon I realised you were posing an ethical question within a fairy tail and you have most certainly generated diverse responses.
Generally I believe that jewels must remain in the wildnerness and that true wealth has little to do with money as we have all come to know it. Five billion a month would not have as much impact as one might imagine. The distribution of wealth has a habit of returning to the hands of some.
On the other hand, if five billion people did something for free each day, life as we know it could change significantly.
The ethical underpinning missed here is that I was gifted/burdoned with this knowledge within a special bond of trust. I feel obligated to extend the dream/need of my mentor regardless of my personal views on man's fraility, greed, etc. I can question along with you whether such ethical anchoring is necessary or rational -- but also know that were I not 'so grounded' as a kid in 1958, I would not have been chosen to learn of this treasure.
So, whether you believe the 'fairy tale' or not -- the consequences of 'who I am' are very real! Forget the money! I would wrestle with trust obligation if it were only a single tree I need save. It is not an issue of 'amount', but of intent and will.
It is a game, of sorts, to imagine the responsibility and power to affect a billion lives. The real question is do we have the right to affect a SINGLE life of another based on our own particular beliefs? or to have no regard that our careless actions might harm another?
You all have me thinking -- for which I thank you.
Then I guess you have a problem. Sorry, I can't be of assistance.
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