CHECKMATE: A SPIRITUAL
HUNGER
When I read about Nedbank’s
recent acquisition of Imperial Bank my immediate
thoughts were ‘So much for a recession.’
In August, Nedbank agreed to buy the 49.9% shares
of Imperial Bank that it did not already own, for
R1.8-billion.
Imperial bank had net interest income
of R1.7-billion as of December 2008.
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I have previously written about big
business simply passing on to us poor consumers the
cost of anything that threatens their profit margins.
In fact I wrote about it
twice.
Well, even though internationally there
are signs that the recession has leveled out and that
things should start improving soon, the banks are not
taking any chances.
Absa, for example, has increased the ‘safekeeping
charges’ for a will by 28%, Nedbank has introduced
a R12.50 fee for cheque deposits, Standard Bank’s
home-loan fees has escalated a whopping 500% and the big
four South African banks have all increased their fees
in general.
Again.
What amazes me is how we
just sit back and lap this up.
In the good old days we used to lend our
money to the bank in order to earn interest on our hard
earned cash.
These days we unquestioningly pay the banks for using
our money.
We have become so entrenched as pawns
in the ‘rat race’ that we do not question
anything anymore.
Tunnel vision has become second nature as man frantically
and blindly pursues his dream of financial freedom.
We call this progress.
I am reminded of social psychologist David
Myershe, speaking on what he terms the American paradox.
“More than
ever, at the end of the last century we find ourselves
with big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low
morale, secured rights and diminished civility. We are
excelling at making a living but failing at making a life.
We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose. We
cherish our freedoms but long for connection.
In an age of plenty, we are feeling spiritual hunger.”
But we don’t know this.
We are too busy being pawns to concern ourselves with
issues that are reserved for kings and queens, rooks and
bishops.
Kader Khan
Editor
info@yummie.co.za
