Greed leads to many great sins - 19ـ اَلحِرْصُ مُوقِعٌ في كَثيرِ (كَبيرِ) العُيُوبِ (الذُّنُوبِ).
With the rise of TikTok stars and Instagram influencers, it seems that the American Dream increasingly revolves around fame and exorbitant wealth. Everyday followers of the celebrity elite are only now learning that the dream is more of a nightmare. Let's delve into the story of two mega influencers of a different type than the dancing, makeup-tutorial influencers we see in our feeds.
Epstein: Rags to Riches to Sex Trafficking
Growing up in Brooklyn, Epstein's mother was a part-time school aide and his father was a groundskeeper. He saw the wealth and power of New York tycoons and decided that powerful connections were the path to success. Without money or a college degree, he managed to use his connections as a teacher at a prep school to land a job in the lucrative world of finance.
Epstein once explained to his friends, “I invest in people — be it politics or science. It’s what I do,” His collection of powerful friends grew over time to include:
The U.K.'s Prince Andrew
U.S. Presidents Clinton and Trump
The Prime Minister of Israel
Bill Gates
and various celebrities.
With limitless resources, be it social or financial, all of the desires he ever had seemed within the realm of possibility.
His desires grew darker and without the restrictions most people are bound by, he used his status to feed his greed and lust. Devising a pseudo-pyramid scheme of sex trafficking, Epstein enticed lower-income, underage girls to supply him with more girls who would then bring even more. Many of his powerful peers allegedly joined him, even traveling to his private island, a now infamous site for his sex trafficking.
With sexual abuse convictions dating back as early as 2005, Epstein eventually ended his life in 2019 while awaiting trial for federal charges of sex trafficking women and underage girls.
Diddy: Waking Up with Roaches to Drug-Filled Freak-Offs
Diddy once recounted, “One day we woke up and there was so many roaches on my face and I was like, ‘No I’m not going to do that. I’m going to get out of here. I’m going to be somebody." After the death of his big-time drug dealing father, Diddy and his mom left Harlem and she raised him on her own. She was determined to get him on a different path and managed to put him through private school where he first began to rub elbows with the rich and powerful.
Like Epstein, Diddy used his connections and mentors to rise to the top of his industry. As his power grew, he allegedly used it to commit a list of federal crimes:
Sex trafficking
Forced labor
Kidnapping
Arson
Bribery
Obstruction of justice
An apparently open secret among celebrities, Diddy got away with these alleged crimes for decades. A.D. Carson, a professor of hip-hop and the Global South at the University of Virginia explained, “That kind of power produces all kinds of results, including people organizing themselves in such a way that this seems to be the price of participation. In the culture, people are concerned with what they stand to gain by [remaining silent].” It was not only his own greed but, to a degree, that of those around him that allowed for his abuse.
The American Dream Isn't What It Seems
P. Diddy and Jeffrey Epstein's allegations tell a horrifying tale of taking the values that America is built upon to the extremes - success to greed, community to criminal enterprise, freedom to limitless immorality. At what point in their journey did these men become evil? Perhaps they are just figures that represent a larger problem in America.
The point at which the American Dream transformed from equality of opportunity to fame and greed, was when corruption took root and spread into every sector of America. Men like Epstein and Diddy thrived amongst their like-minded peers and powerless victims. They have proven that yes, there is a darker side to the American Dream.
Though the American Dream is one of light and darkness, it is up to each of us to choose which path we will take and fight against the evil around us.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. - 1 Timothy 6:10
Have you ever looked up at the sky during a storm and felt a chill down your back, wondering if it could signal something more sinister to come? If so, you're not alone - 39% of Americans believe we are currently in the end times. The recent devastation caused by Hurricane Helene has been quickly succeeded by the emergence of Hurricane Milton, prompting us all to question - is Mother Nature trying to convey a message to us?
Recap of Recent Disasters
While Hurricane Helene dominates the news, it is not the only event within the past year in the ongoing saga of record-breaking disasters.
Lahaina Wildfire: Ranked as the deadliest the U.S. has seen in over a hundred years
Texas Wildfires: Largest wildfires in the state's recorded history
Northeastern U.S. Earthquake: Strongest in New York since 1884 and the strongest to occur in New Jersey in more than 200 years
U.S. Natural Disasters: Highest number of billion-dollar disasters in a recorded calendar year
U.S. Tornadoes: Largest outbreak of tornadoes within a 24-hour period (110 total) for the time of year in recorded history. New York recorded the most tornadoes in a single year and Delaware experienced it's widest and strongest tornado.
Caribbean's Hurricane Beryl: Achieved Category 5 status earlier in the year than any storm in the Atlantic on record
Brazil Floods: Multiple rainfall records broken with months worth of rain within only days
Dubai Flood: Two years worth of rainfall in less than a day with the heaviest rainfall recorded in 75 years.
Greece Wildfire: The country's biggest wildfire on record
Chile Wildfire: Deadliest wildfires on record
Marrakesh-Safi Earthquake: Strongest earthquake recorded in the region
2023 was the Earth's hottest year on record though 2024 may surpass it
Since 1960, there has been a tenfold increase in natural disasters globally, mostly caused by the effects of climate change. Civil unrest and a lack of resources make it trickier to recover from these disasters which feeds into further conflict and scarcity. In the past decade, water-related conflict has spiked by 270% worldwide. Could these be the signs prophesied by nearly every major religion?
Signs of the End Times
When it comes to the end of the world as we know it, the major world religions all have their own unique take. Even so, they pretty much outline the same path to the end.
Natural disasters
Moral decay
War
False prophets
Persecution of believers
Return of deity to earth to destroy evil
It seems like five out of six of these signs may have already happened, leaving many waiting to see what happens next to know for sure if it's the end of the line.
Sharing Hope Amidst the Chaos
Whether it's the end of the world by God's hand or our own, there's always a glimmer of hope. We know tough times are coming and we're ready to tackle them head-on. No matter what point we're at in the earth's life cycle, we can use these times to come together and be a beacon of light in a world that's feeling a bit dimmer.
In the end, it's not the storms that define us, but how we weather them.