Unholy Worship

As of late, I have been considering how deeply the decisions of higher authority are persuaded by greed. How we find ourselves in a war over oil, a liquid equivalent of wealth. How individuals work their lives away to bring home a decent salary. How money leads husbands to bet their wedding rings in a game of poker just to make an extra buck. How immediately after the death of a loved one, their life savings is divided up between family and friends. How residents of third-world countries labor in factories, underpaid, just to feed their families. How young women resort to selling their bodies and dignity for hard cold cash. Or, more personally, how the ASU tuition has been raised once again, making it even harder for students to build an education for their future. Why has money been put above the well-being of humans? Society’s desire for wealth clouds our perception of right and wrong. We have lost sight of what is really important in life. We were not born with love for the dollar, but were conditioned over time to see it as a thing of beauty. The problem is, our want and need for it has taken an off-putting twist towards greed. In my piece I purchased a religious candle displaying the Lady or Guadalupe on the front. In reality, a devoted faith-holder would light the candle as a sign of worship. I chose to convey the belief that society has forgotten what is important in life and cares only for money. To do this, I peeled off the label, cut out the image of the Lady of Guadalupe (leaving just the border), placed a dollar bill on the candle and reapplied the border over the dollar. I did not need to worry whether or not the candle was still recognizable as religious because, its environment could fill in the blank in addition to creating a great contrast between objects. I predict a different level or excitement from the consumer. The possibility for an increase in heart rate would not be unexpected. This reaction is parallel to our enjoyment of money over important human culture such as, say, religion. To further prove this point, how much more likely is it that the shop dropped piece will be purchased over the traditional religious candle?