Chuck Bentley at the American Thinker discusses the forgotten Commandment (some might say, the forgotten two Commandments): “Thou shalt not covet.” He argues that coveting–that is, envy–is at the root of many of our economic, political, and cultural problems.
From Chuck Bentley, Articles: The Tenth Commandment and Crabs in a Barrel, the American Thinker:
Former NBA star Charles Barkley recently drew national attention with his candid comments referring to the envy between “successful blacks” and “non-intelligent blacks” as being like “crabs in a barrel”. Mr. Barkley was referring to an African proverb — “Put one crab in a pot and it will escape. Put two crabs in a pot and neither will escape.”
The point of this proverb is that envy destroys everyone. Whatever your reaction to Barkley’s perception of an issue in his community, envy and covetousness are actually national problems. Americans have difficulty remembering, much less keeping, the 10th Commandment: Thou Shalt Not Covet.
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