Sins stayed in a bungalow. It had been bought by his grandfather twenty-five years ago, and was twenty kilometres from the outskirts of the main city. Sins was brought up here. His childhood was happy and gay, as he would frolic from one part of the house to another, ending in the vacant plot of land beside, now turned into a garden by the efforts of his grandmother. He reminiscenced how quiet it had been, unlike the noisy racket of vehicles passing on the road right in front. He hated the sound of vehicles now, it made him ill. The noise and smoke-filled him with disgust and rage in equal measure.
He realised the role of transportation for the economy. The history of the world was fundamentally shaped by transportation, of men and materials, when new places held a fascination of the unknown, and expansion of the intellect, through the exchange of indigenous goods and learning new customs of language, food and art. What a time to live, although life was cheap.
History was his favourite subject at school. The stories were never-ending. Men and women who dared to think and act were immortalized in print. His curiosity and inquisitiveness spurred him on to read more, any book was acceptable. Thankfully, his uncle had left him a book collection, painstakingly collected in his time and left behind for Sins, while he moved to another country to make his living. His Uncle’s journey personified what Sins had concluded. Men of thought and action, leaving comfortable shores to access more resources and spruce up their living lifestyle. Sins called it the noble pursuit, moving up higher on the economic pecking order.
When he came to college, Sins realised he had been over-complicating the subjects of trade, politics, economics and the like. The fact was, the fight between humans and nations, was the fight for resources. More resources, means a better way of life, meaning healthier food, electricity, human networks and prosperity. Where could one draw the line? Sins’ country, or rather a majority of it, only had access to resources, to satisfy ‘needs’, not ‘wants’ or ‘desires’. Liberalisation of the economy was good, was great in fact. The country and its people needed access to knowledge and foreign networks and the educated, far-sighted individuals were able to propel themselves into the top ten percent of the economically well-offs, creating an entire new generation of elites who would grow up in relative comfort as compared to their parents.
Sins was one of them. He said a prayer of thanks to his late grandfather, and prostrated himself before him in respect, mentally.
Marijuana Maharaj 
One thought on “Educated, Privileged and Elite”