Citizen Kane

I recently re-watched Citizen Kane (1941), a true-life film about an American man who rises from rags to riches in the newspaper industry. In his obsessive pursuit of power and wealth, Kane (Orson Welles) alienates his family and friends. He later dies a lonely man, crying out for his boyhood sled which represented the only time he was ever truly happy. His vast riches had not brought him meaning and joy.

It's a film that stirs in one a need to abandon pursuits that do not minister to us and those around us. We are living in times where the quest for money has relegated things that matter most. A friend who works in Nairobi was telling me that he has stayed in the same apartment  for over a year but does not know his neighbours. Every time he reaches out, he is repulsed by their coldness. 

"Individualism and a weak social structure is killing this place," he said.

This is the modern reality of an Africa that used to stand out for its communality. You have an emergency but the person who would help is too busy. Busy acquiring what we don't need [status symbols] instead of spending more time with family and friends, appreciating the lilies of the field and finding satisfaction in simplicity.  

Greek philosopher Epicurus once said that “One must regard wealth beyond what is natural as of no more use than water to a container that is full to overflowing.” He also said that “Of all the things that wisdom provides to help one live one’s entire life in happiness, the greatest by far is the possession of friendship.” May we kill the 'citizen Kane' in us by heeding the philosopher's words.