Greed!

It is very sad that some people have become so greedy these days that they would give their entire life's earnings to so-called marabouts, just so as to get rich overnight.

All along, we thought people are aware enough nowadays, and have graduated from that mentality.

However, what we have read in the local media these days suggests that some people are still going in for money doubling schemes or rely on belief in some black magic rituals in order to be successful in life.

In our view, it is high time that people realize that it is better to start investing their monies in productive business, that would benefit them and the nation at large, rather than being involved in such activities.

For instance, they can invest in Treasury Bills, which at the end of the day yields a good profit for them.

Moreover, since prayers are part and parcel of our daily life, because our religions call for it, we should always try to make good use of prayer to the best of our ability.

In doing this, however, we should not focus on doing harm to each other.

In any case, as clearly mentioned in the two holy books, the Qur'an and Bible, human beings need to seek the blessing of their parents first before turning to anyone else, in order to be successful in life.

While we do not want to discourage anyone from going to a marabout, we want to emphasise the fact that the best marabout on earth is one's parents.

What is even more interesting is the fact that, at first, it was the illiterates who most frequented the marabouts. It seems, however, that the literate are now taking over.

Money doubling is not something new in our society. The practice has caused some people to lose their jobs, and some to even go to jail.

In fact, there have been reports, in the past, of some persons using their organization's money for investing in this foolish practice.

They are mainly motivated by the desire to get more money, and to get rich quick.

Eventually, however, it always turns out to be a negative experience for them.

It is, therefore, high time that people wake up and start thinking positively and behaving intelligently.

Indeed, in today's world of the new information technologies, one has the means to become very smart, and should not fall victim easily to swindlers and charlatans parading as marabouts.