The Heart of the Matter

In Matthew 6, Jesus admonishes us to use our earthly treasures for eternal purposes. In verse 21, He reveals that the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart when it comes to where/how we use our money: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (ESV).

A commentary on the recent government Budget discussions touches on the issue of the heart behind decisions that one make. The article, “The moral choices behind our Budget allocation speak volumes about who we are as a society,” is authored by Dr Adrian Kuah, a Senior Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

In attempting to explain the concept of social justice, fairness, and moral reasoning, Adrian used a thought experiment originally from economist and philosopher, Dr Amartya Sen, in his book The Idea of Justice. See below for the explanatory graphics and do read Adrian’s article for his take on its applicability to the Singapore context.