Page 37 - IB APR 2017

Opinion
Where are our morals?

In this ‘light’ the “act of killing God”
as Nietzsche said, is not only undeniable
but ironically evident from within the
dispenser and interpreters of “his holy
word”. A deep, candid and balanced
national self-reflection is long overdue.
An introspection which should ask, what
do these statistics tell us about us? What
are we as a society, as a people, as Fijians,
through these statistics? What should
this mean? And best of all how can we
address this together?
Nietzsche can be forgiven for stating
“God is dead” as a philosopher because it
simply is one interpretation of the world,
just as Karl Marx argued, “…philosophers
have only interpreted the world in various
ways; the point, however, is to change it.
The point then becomes how do we stop
In a rugby-mad and God-fearing country such as Fiji, the loss of morals and values raises serious questions. killing our morals, our God and save us
Photo: File from ourselves.
bility to the devil, rather than ourselves with the self-serving “prosperity gospel” r jopetarai7@gmail.com
on a matter that exposes our sense of and let’s not forget the others heavily en-
sanctimonious religious exuberance. gaged in the hero worship of their routine - Jope Tarai is an emerging Fijian and Pacific
It seems that aside from the death of leaders, it is clear that individuals must academic. He is a lecturer at the UNiversity of
morals is also the loss of introspection. think independently and critically beyond the South Pacific.
It is clear that morals without intro- these institutions.
spection, limits morals to being ideals
without much practical application, let
alone aspiration. The risk of one without TRADE MARK CAUTIONARY NOTICE IN FEDERATED STATES
the other produces an enslaved society OF MICRONESIA
to the mere routine of and within reli-
gion. The routine of religious programs, ‘ NOTICE is hereby given that Brauerei Beck GmbH & Co. KG, (“the Proprietor”)
the routine of attire for the service, the ... a of Am Deich 18/19, 28199 BREMEN, GERMANY, a company, organized and
routine of religious financial obligations, existing under the laws of Germany, Manufacturers and Merchants, is the
the routine of pandering to one another, deep, original and sole proprietor in Federated States of Micronesia, of the trade
which does nothing more than build a su- mark set out below and all the intellectual property rights that may subsist
therein, in respect of the goods set out below.
perficial sense of spirituality. Breaking the candid
routine risks the heaviest penalty, which The Mark:
is none other than judgement, ironically and
not from God but from our own fellow Goods:
religiously routine Fijians. In this regard balanced
‘routine’ cultivates believers, obsessed Beers; non-alcoholic beers, mixed drinks containing beer, mineral and
with commercial and material prosper- national aerated waters and other non-alcoholic drinks; fruit drinks and fruit juices;
ity who misconstrue it and conveniently syrups and other preparations for making beverages in class 32.
label it as “blessings”. Dangerously, this self- Warning:
inevitably implies if you’re poor, you’re
not blessed. Even as an unintended con- reflection WARNING is hereby given that any fraudulent, counterfeit, unauthorized, or
sequence, it creates an irrational logic that otherwise improper use of the Mark (or any similar marks), and any other
I’d dare not imagine if it were applied to is long infringement of the rights of the Proprietor in any manner whatsoever, will
those who face sexual violence and their be dealt with according to law.
families. Worse still is that it could still
limit the discussions of these social ills General:
to a mere exemplification of the “end of
times” narrative (the END IS NIGH!’). ...
With certain radical or more aptly, the overdue ‘ This notice is published for and on behalf of the Proprietor by its agents,
ridiculous sects being part of the sexual Pacific Islands Intellectual Property Services, IP Division of Siwatibau
deviancy (54-year-old pastor, of the & Sloan, Barristers and Solicitors of 8 Holland Street, Suva, Fiji Islands,
church group called Jezreel Lion of Judah) Email:artika@sas.com.fj, aminiasi@sas.com.fj, Web page: www.sas.com.fj
of society, while some are preoccupied

Islands Business, April 2017 37