DMB:
The fact that people have to sell their souls in order to fill their bellies
is nothing to be happy about.
ROG:
Now this is an odd twist to the rest of your post. I thought we agreed that
the best solution was to work at something you enjoy? Modern free
enterprise societies offer more variety and freedom to pursue a career than
any other system I know of. In addition, as I wrote a few weeks ago, we
have made a lot of progress in reducing the amount of time people spend at
work (annual work hours is one half of what it was 150 years ago, and is
still dropping).
[David Buchanan] An odd twist? Not at all. Its a reference to Pirsig's
statement about his sell-out frat brothers and is intended to refine and
bolster the rest of the post. The point is simply that making money is not
the highest goal. As the letter to Bodvar puts it, money is a "simple index
of social quality." The author basically tells us that he's saddened by
scientists who sell out to the marketplace, who pursue money rather than
science. It only stands to reason that this same notion applies to anyone
who'd like to pursue intellectual and artistic goals. Its sad when they have
to settle for less. It does injury to the soul of such people.
The state of affairs 150 years ago was very, very bad. It was one of the
worst ever in terms of inhumane treatment of workers. And that was a result
of free enterprise too. I think you're giving credit where credit isn't
due. The level of wealth in this country has alot to due with abundant
natural resources, technology, a legacy of the protestant work ethic and a
whole bunch of other things. And even as productivity levels are rapidly
increasing because of information technologies, people are working harder
and longer and making less all the time. Many middle class families can no
longer make ends meet with a single paycheck, so that people have to work
two jobs, or both partners have to work, or both. All this high-tech
productivity is being funneled into fewer and fewer hands. So that instead
of working fewer hours and making more money, people find themselves working
more hours and making less money. Instead of wealth and leisure, we've only
gotten poorer and more exhuasted. This leaves little for the pursuit of
higher level goals. The fact is, most people are not well served by the
system you seem to love so well. It's sucking the life out of them. I'm not
really talking about myself so much. I have more time than money and I like
it that way. That is a choice we made, my wife and I. We'd rather live
modestly and have the time to enjoy life than to spend our lives "at the
office". Our jobs don't pay tons, but they're rewarding in other ways. But
most Americans aren't so lucky. The statistics are there for anyone to see.
My point is that we need to differentiate the solutions of modern economic
systems from the problems. Are we where we need to be? No. Are we on the
right path? We seem to be. Let's not go backward on what IS working though.
[David Buchanan] As I understand it, this system is not sustainable. It acts
like a giant sponge, drawing all the world's energy and resourses into
itself. I think we have to get much smarter about this stuff because its a
long way down from here.
Finally, to be a devil's advocate, let me rewrite your phrase... "The fact
that people can get all the food, protection and material things they need
by doing what they enjoy (as long as it adds value to others) is truly
miraculous."
[David Buchanan] Miraculous? I think meeting our basic needs should be a
simple matter by now. The problem is with this insatiable appitite to have
way more than we need. Its become an insane arms race of materialism where
advertisers control what you desire, take aim at your heart's deepest
secrets and manipulate the millions into believeing that they just have to
have the latest thing. I find the whole hyper manic frenzy of commerce to be
a little insane. I'm just trying to make a case that some things are more
value-able than profit and that some things are more profit-able than money.
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