Jon
> The problem lies within the soul of humanity, and no sort of political or
> economic system is going to come close to fixing it. Can't you see this?
> Can't anyone? Everyone, it seems, is totally misdiagnosing our illness.
>
> The problem is so obvious, so right there, so in our face, that it's
> appalling we continue to ignore it. We don't care enough. We care more about
> our own cash piles than the lives of our fellow humans. I've said this about
> a hundred times now, and it continues to be ignored or flippantly dismissed.
DLT
I am not flippantly dismissing your call for "caring". If we accept your premise, "We care more
about
our own cash piles than the lives of our fellow humans." We see that it not that we don't care, but
that in your opinion our care is misplaced. OK, but what do we do? Caring without action is simply
empty rhetoric of the " I feel your pain" type. We need practical, pragmatic, actions that transform
our "caring about cash" into "caring about humans."
JON
> The shift to natural capitalism wouldn't solve a thing, David.
DLT
It seems self evident to me that any shift from "caring about cash" will entail radical changes in
the existing social, political, and economic values. Natural capitalism, in my opinion, is a shift
in the right direction because what it proposes is to do is acknowledge that the value of "natural
capital" (air, water, soil, plants, animals, and man) is primary and cash and other items now
normally considered "capital" are of a less elevated value. Within the MoQ , I think, is a similar
theme is proposed.
JON
> My question is, why should quality depend on money?
DLT
It doesn't. Money depends on quality. No stable pattern of economic values, No money. No capital,
such as stored food or some equivalent (money) as winter approaches and the quality of your life
will probably get very low before spring. And no amount of your "caring about the lives of your
fellow humans," will change that low quality situation. In fact your lack of "caring" about your
capital may mean someone else will now have to "care" for you.
JON
> It's down deep in the soil of man's heart. An ugly, snarling root called complacency. Live in denial if > you want to, but it's there. Inside all of us. Make the lawn look as pretty as you want, but that won't > get rid of the ugly root.
Natural capitalism would suggest that if you really "care" about your fellow man, you would tear up
that lawn by the roots and plant an organic vegetable garden. Thus decreasing your need to for money
to buy vegetables , reducing the wasted time and capital you spend maintaining an archaic social
pattern of value which helps destabilizes in a small way natural biological patterns worldwide , and
at the same time improving not just your the QUALITY of your life but everyone's . And if you
really "care" maybe you'll plant a few flowers for the insects and a patch of lettuce to share with
the neighbors. Simple, direct, local, meaningful actions that are individually do-able is more
"caring", in my opinion, than dropping a quarter in the Salvation Army kettle on the way out of
Wal-Mart with your sackful of plastic vegetables airfreighted in from Peru. That in essense is
what "Natural" capitalism is all about.
DLT
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