If you are lovingly and awesomely created in the image of God, you are Someone. If you are an accident of time, space, matter and energy, you are only something. Here’s something on some thinking about somethings .
Much has been said about the social, health and economic problems associated with smoking. Not wanting to take this lying down, one of the world’s biggest tobacco companies decided to do something about it. Philip Morris’ Czech division fought back by commissioning “The Public Finance Balance of Smoking in the Czech Republic” study in 2001. One of the major conclusions of it was the cost-benefit analysis showing “based on up-to-date reliable data and consideration of all relevant contributing factors, the effect of smoking on the public finance balance in the Czech Republic in 1999 was positive, estimated at +5,815 mil. CZK.”
Aside from the taxes raised, a major reason for this “net positive economic effect” of smoking was the fact that smokers died earlier. Sure, smoking has costs to the state in terms of health-care and lost tax revenue from the death of smokers but they die early enough to make it a positive thing. You heard right, it was spun up as being a good thing.
One can only think this way if one considers people as something, not Someone. This isn’t entirely surprising coming from a tobacco company but the following comments from the Czech Prime Minister, Miloš Zeman is an eye opener:
“By smoking, I contribute to the stability of the state budget. By buying cigarettes, I increase state revenues, and I will die of lung cancer, so the state won’t have to pay me a pension.”
“As a smoker, I support the state budget, because in the Czech Republic we pay tax on tobacco. Also, smokers die sooner, and the state does not need to look after them in their old age.”
How would like that sort of idea leading your country? Why not add active euthanasia to the mix while you’re at it?
There’s more. This report was only meant to be used by Philip Morris to quietly lobby the government and judging by the above comments, with some success. Unfortunately for them, it was leaked and a predictable public relations storm ensued. Initially, Philip Morris defended the report stating:
“It is very unfortunate that this is one aspect of the study that is being focused on”
“We understand that it appears quite cold, but tobacco is a controversial product.”
They further stated that the purported death benefit was “just one point” and “was not the point we were emphasizing.”
It soon became evident that this wasn’t going to work, so they changed tack by “apologising”:
“We are not in any way suggesting that the social cost of smoking is of benefit to society.”
“We understand that this was not only a terrible mistake, but that it was wrong. To say it’s inappropriate is an understatement.”
“All of us at Philip Morris, no matter where we work, are extremely sorry for this. No one benefits from the very real, serious and significant diseases caused by smoking. We understand the outrage that has been expressed and we sincerely regret this extraordinarily unfortunate incident. We will continue our best efforts to do the right thing in all our business, acknowledging mistakes when we make them and learning from them as we go forward.”
Historically, tobacco companies have always disputed the link between smoking and its negative health effects. It’s fascinating that here we have for the first time, a tobacco company admitting in writing the “very real, serious and significant diseases caused by smoking.”
But let’s pause to consider what they said. If Philip Morris intends to “continue our best efforts to do the right thing”, why are they producing and marketing a product that causes “very real, serious and significant diseases”? Here we have written confirmation of confused morals and thinking in the corporate world. Given the comments from the Czech prime minister, you can see it happening in the political world too.
If you’re something not Someone, there’s nothing wrong with the above ideas. They are simply manifestations of a mind filled with the wrong things.
A world view like that doesn’t come out of no where. It starts from the cradle and carries through to the grave. Tragically, it is implemented in homes, classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, clinics, workplaces, board rooms and halls of power on the way.
Don’t let them be implemented unchallenged. Let’s fill our mind with better.
