85) big business Written by Rainer: rainer.lehrer@yahoo.com Learn languages (via Skype): Rainer: + 36 20 549 52 97 or + 36 20 334 79 74

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Big business A new pharaoh is born. The best architects are immediately called in to build an even more magnificent grave for him than for his predecessor, who is still alive. The fame of the divine offspring should also survive eternity, and the more slaves lose their lives in the process, the more deeply it impresses the historical memory of humanity. If his monument lasts long enough, maybe the camels will remember this madness too, because they have to go around the same pile of stones over and over again for generations. We also partly know whether this lord over life and death, who was followed by madmen into his grave in order to serve him in the afterlife, was poisoned or stabbed in the back because his mummified body has been withdrawn from worms and the natural cycle of decomposition to this day. It's not that bad on the small islands of Polynesia, because there wealth is not measured in immortal gold, diamonds and stones, but in wood and food, i.e. in perishable goods. About half a year before the death of a wealthy old man, when one can already see that he is coming to an end, a house of wood is made for him and decorated with flowers, which of course wither rather quickly. Nevertheless, there are also superstitious people in Asia who allegedly had a Taj Mahal built for their loved one or a Chinese emperor who wanted to be accompanied by thousands of soldiers after death. Or what can one say about Attila, whose grave was allegedly laid by briefly diverting a river from its river bed. Ovid, on the other hand, created a more original method of making himself immortal. He wrote what we still read today. Who would remember the emperor who banished the poet to a penal colony at that time? By the way, this culture bastard was called Augustus. The mausoleum is probably the clearest example here, as it gave the whole thing its current name. Whether someone wants to make his name or the memory of himself immortal, or whether he believes in an afterlife, is unimportant at this point, because both attempts lead in the same direction. Much more interesting is that it has been turned into a profitable business over the millennia. Whether the descendants provide a sufficiently conspicuous memorial, or whether the dying person puts aside the necessary funds long before his death does not change the fact that an entire industry is built on it. In addition to funeral companies, even new branches emerged. For many, the death of a loved one is usually a shock and cause of deepest sadness, or sometimes relief after a long illness, but almost always a financial challenge. Just consider the costs incurred, such as the coffin, grave, gravestone and the feast in his honour. And now, some very clever people came up with the idea of ​​insuring the funeral. A little money is set aside every month for this purpose. Up to this point, none of this would be a shame at all. The monthly rate is determined according to the cost estimated for the intended final resting place and the current age of the person to be dying. Insurance is of course not a social welfare office, but a business. And therefore, it is calculated how long the person to decease has to live so that it does not become a loss for the insurance company, or is allowed to live in order not to pay too much. But since, of course, in general everyone tries to spend as long as possible in this world, the profit from the insurance is almost guaranteed. What bad luck for those who live too long! And this insurance can of course be taken out with the insurance company of the Vatican:  Generali - the insurance company of the Vatican. Back to list!

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