Scene 18
 Myk
God?
God
You called me.
Myk
Yes.
God
Yes?
Myk
I am at my wit's end.
God
That's bad news.
Myk
Yes?
God
If one loses one's sense of direction during the journey. How would you feel if the path led to the wilderness?
Myk
What do you mean?
 God
You do have a goal don't you?
Myk
Yes.
God
What is it?
Myk
I – don't know any more.
God
Any more?
Myk
No.
God
So you used to know?
Myk
Yes.
God
What was it?
Myk
I wanted to get a job at the bank.
God
Why?
 Myk
Because I wanted to haul myself out of the shit; earn money, rent a flat but not a slum dwelling, have children, be able to survive.
God
Isn't that rather a lot at once?
Myk
How come, all these things belong together!
God
Having children does not match with hauling oneself out of the shit. Being able to survive does not match with renting a flat and so on.
Myk
What?
God
You can have children when you are in the shit. You can survive without having a flat. You can earn money and not have children and so on.
Myk
Hang on a minute.
God
Yes?
Myk
It's about my goal.
God
Quite right! Not about your goals.
Myk
So just one goal?
God
That would be a good start. If you come to a roundabout you wouldn't choose two or three roads.
 Myk
So, one goal.
God
Yes.
Myk
Just one?
God
Yes.
Myk
Out of the shit.
God
So go on.
Myk
What? Where to?
God
Out of the shit!
Myk
But I haven't got any money! How can I go anywhere?
God
That means that you need money?
Myk
Yes, of course. Otherwise I can't escape. That is clear.
God
If everything is clear, how come you are at your wit's end?
Myk
Because I don't know how to get any money?
God
I thought your goal was to get out of the shit.
Myk
But with money.
God
One goal!
Myk
You think –
God
I don't think anything.
Myk
So my goal is: I want to earn money?
God
Are you asking me or asking yourself?
Myk
Perhaps you are right.
God
It is not a matter of whether I am right. It is a matter of whether you are right. You must be able to say what your goal is. Otherwise you will never have any clarity. With many goals you only achieve, you don't need to say, what you really want. And if you can't say what you really want to yourself, how do you propose to achieve it?
Myk
But now I have lots of goals.
God
That may be the case. But not at the same time. You are at a crossroads. And you need to decide which road to follow. Sooner or later you will encounter the next crossroads. Then you will have to take another decision and so on.
Myk
And how do I know when I am at the next crossroads?
God
As soon as you have achieved your goal or not. Then you need to make a new decision. Life is actually very simple: A question, an answer, carry it out, next question, another answer, carry it out and so on …
Myk
And what if it doesn't work?
God
That is not your decision. If it doesn't work then there is another question to be asked, there is an answer once again and you carry it out. Resolve question, sort out answer, carry it out, observe result, find next question sort out answer and so on. You might want to achieve the result but you can't influence the success. That is not within your power! – Just the question the answer and the effort.
Myk
Just the question, the answer and the effort?
God
Yes. That's life.
Myk
That's not very much is it?
God
That is a great deal and usually more than you can achieve. As you can see, people can fall at the first hurdle: the question.
Myk
But the question is clear.
God
What was it?
Myk
What do I want?
God
The question is just as daft as the question: what am I? – Answer: a person. – But what kind of person? That's where it gets complicated. So: I didn't mean to ask a stupid general question which can never be answered or can be continually answered with any old thing but: a concrete question.
Myk
I don't understand.
God
Back to the crossroads: the question is not where am I going to but: which road am I taking. – Is that clear?
Myk
I think so.
God
So: You are living in the shit and you have no money. And you don't want to carry on living like this. So far you have been travelling on the "shit life" road and now you have come to a crossroads. Question?
Myk
What do I have to do to leave the shit life behind?
God
Quite right! – Possible answers?
Myk
Earn money …
God
What else?
Myk
What do you mean what else?
God
Well there are also other answers:
Myk
Such as …?
God
I don't think you have often come to a crossroads in your life have you? Am I right?
Myk
You might well be.
God
So these are other answers: Stealing; becoming a refugee; printing money; speculating; offering yourself to rich ladies; –
Myk
What …?!
God
I am only making suggestions. You have to give the right answer for yourself.
Myk
Okay. For me it's earning money.
God
So, get on with it.
Myk
But how? – That is the question isn't it?
God
Aha.
Myk
What you mean – aha!
God
After a long conversation we have now come to the decisive question: how do I want to earn my money. It took a while but we succeeded.
Myk
That's true. It took a while.
God
It is best to earn money with what you have learned. What have you learned?
Myk
I completed primary school and secondary school with an emphasis on finance.
God
That's wonderful. You can get a job doing that.
Myk
But I have got a job!
God
So what's the problem? Don't you earn enough, are your colleagues stupid, can't you –
Myk
No. I just don't know whether it is right to swindle people just to earn money.
God
What do you mean swindle? I thought it was a job?
Myk
It is a job.
God
So there you are –
Myk
I have to sell accounts to people who can't afford them.
God
Then you shouldn't sell the accounts.
Myk
But I have to talk them into opening the accounts. Otherwise I don't sell them and I don't earn anything.
God
That means you have to lie?
Myk
No. But I do have to look for people who can't count very well which means that they don't know exactly what credit interest and debit interest are and they don't understand how much money they need to have in their account to make the credit interest higher than the monthly charges.
God
Do you understand all that?
Myk
Yes, of course.
God
Then everyone else can understand it as well.
Myk
No, not everyone can.
God
Why not?
Myk
Because you need a good education if you want to understand it.
God
Like you?
Myk
Yes.
God
So there you are. You come from the slums, you left school and you know what's what. If you can do it then everyone can. And if people can't they could just say they don't understand it and ask to be left alone.
Myk
But lots of people don't say that because they don't notice that they don't understand. I explain it to them in such a way that they think they understand.
God
Then you are good.
Myk
Yes?
God
A businessman makes his living by selling things people want at a higher price than he originally bought them. That's the way it is. The greater the profit, the better the businessman. It is not the businessman's concern whether the customer really wanted the thing he bought.
Myk
But lots of people will lose the little they own.
God
That's a pity but it's not your fault or your problem. You can‘t think for both. In a deal there is always one winner. You, or the other person. If you don't sell any accounts you won't make any money. If you sell lots of accounts you will make lots of money. Your goal is: To earn money. So –
Myk
Yes, that's right but my conscience tells me –
God
Your what?!
Myk
My conscience.
God
What does your conscience have to do with your job? You are a businessman, not a church minister. Do your job well. That is your task. And if you want you can donate some money to poor people later on once you have earned enough. That's what many people do.
Myk
God my father, you are definitely sure, that this is the right way, that this will be the right decision?
God
If you are sure, then I am sure too. But remember, believe in me, but don’t trust anybody.
When he leaves, we can clearly see his cloven hoofs and his devilish tail.
|
