Just to get some kind of discussion going here (I hate to see an empty board). Back in the 80s I was homeless & in need of a paying job. I went from business to business with an offer they had never heard before (or since I imagine). I offered to work for a week & if it didn't work out they would not have to pay me. If they liked my work then they should hire me. Even with that offer it took a few days for someone to take me up on it. I worked for a small silk screen shop for a week where I made friends of everyone in the shop & even came up with a few ideas that made life for everyone there much easier. At the end of the week the owner of the shop called me into his office & explained to me that while I was an excellent worker, he just couldn't afford to hire someone else at that time. I thanked him for his time & started to leave when he called me back & gave me a week's pay along with a nice bonus! I promised him I'd drop by from time to time in case he needed any more help as at the time he had no way to contact me. When I stopped back a week later he gave me the phone # & address of another shop that was looking for help. I ended up working for that shop for several years until they closed down. Now I realize I really lucked out when I ran into that shop owner & when I see other business owners taking advantage of their workers I think back to that time & am reminded that all business are not all that bad. I can't help but wonder what would happen if I tried that stunt today in the 21st century. I do consulting work for small business from time to time today & usually it's a struggle to get paid for the work I do for them! Of course, I live in a much bigger city now but I sometimes wish I could go back to that small Texas collage town where a man's word was his bond & there were more important things than trying to get over on the other guy. Despite all the crap I've seen & put up with since then, I still like to think that most folk would be honest, honor an similar agreement & do their best to help out a honest, hard working young person the way that shop owner helped me out so long ago. What do you think? Would you do the same if you were a business owner in the same situation?
I believe that your story is a good one but that there is a bigger truth which you would know by now. For example, positive/altruistic/fair behaviour will often go unrewarded because people judge a situation from different perspectives. Your offer of fair exchange was more than reasonable and it was rewarded. I think it is, more often than not, suspicion which prevents people from being fair-minded. Suspicion is a hard thing to counter because we are led to believe from the media -and, in fairness from real life events- that we are living in dangerous times; people cannot be trusted. Very few people want to take chances anymore. This applies to the corporate world and the personal world. It is a hard thing to shake off while we are surrounded by it; easier if we go and live in a cave in the middle of nowhere (not that I'm saying that's a bad thing for the individual but it destroys the notion of 'society' which is the very thing the isolationist is most troubled about).
People aren't merely fuelled by greed because that's suggesting we all know what greed is; I don't believe people do. Greed is comparative. Are we greedy, when compared to others, if we have a radio or a television or a computer or a thick carpet or a pair of brand sport shoes? Probably. However, I don't consider myself greedy for having a television. Is that wrong? If I had 5 televisions...perhaps that would be greedy. How do we define greed if we don't define it as someone having possessions beyond their immediate requirements to survive? In which case, all of us on this web-page have more than we physically need to survive. In an extreme situation, we'd be living in serfdom. Some say we already are. We are fuelled by insecurity, chiefly, which can manifest itself in pre-meditated suspicion of others around us...'What are THEY after? They must be after something...They must be trying to get the jump on me. I need to protect myself first...' Of course, insecurity leads to greed too.
However, insecurity about who we all are, where we all are going and what our legacy will be (i.e. 'What did it all mean, if anything?' 'Am I a good person?' etc.) leads people to do the most bizarre things from plastic surgery onwards...it is sometimes harder to trust because we have all been abused when vulnerable and candid and altruistic...I think people are -most often- intrinsically good but insecurity makes them doubt, makes them protect themselves...in one way or another; perhaps through accumulating 'wealth' as a giant steel ring of 'defence' or through, potentially, either half-opting out or almost entirely opting out of 'society'...
Suspicion is a hard thing to counter because we are led to believe from the media -and, in fairness from real life events- that we are living in dangerous times; people cannot be trusted. Very few people want to take chances anymore. This applies to the corporate world and the personal world. It is a hard thing to shake off while we are surrounded by it; easier if we go and live in a cave in the middle of nowhere (not that I'm saying that's a bad thing for the individual but it destroys the notion of 'society' which is the very thing the isolationist is most troubled about).
People aren't merely fuelled by greed because that's suggesting we all know what greed is; I don't believe people do. Greed is comparative. Are we greedy, when compared to others, if we have a radio or a television or a computer or a thick carpet or a pair of brand sport shoes? Probably. However, I don't consider myself greedy for having a television. Is that wrong? If I had 5 televisions...perhaps that would be greedy. How do we define greed if we don't define it as someone having possessions beyond their immediate requirements to survive? We are fuelled by insecurity, chiefly, which can manifest itself in pre-meditated suspicion of others around us...'What are THEY after? They must be after something...They must be trying to get the jump on me. I need to protect myself first...' Of course, insecurity leads to greed too. I think people are -most often- intrinsically good but insecurity makes them doubt, makes them protect themselves...in one way or another; perhaps through accumulating 'wealth' as a giant steel ring of 'defence' or through, potentially, either half-opting out or almost entirely opting out of 'society'...
I deleted part of your reply in this message to save space. I have to agree with you on all your very good points. I don't believe that most folks really do know what greed is. I don't however believe that an accumlation of money or wealth makes you a greedy person. I believe that it's how you got the money (or why) & how you use it that determines your actual greed. I've known some very wealthy folks that actually use their wealth to help others in any way they can. these are folks whom I might not agree with on every little thing, but I have a lot of respect for what they are trying to do. I'm not talking about Bill Gates giving billions of dollars to India to ensure he has enough healthy workers for his own purposes. I'm talking about a millionaire I used to know who quietly built institutions to help educate the poor & homeless on how to read & help themselves take care of thier families. You will never hear about him & the many others like him because they are not interested in getting any kind of reward or recoginition for what they do, they are only interested that the money they spend does the most good for as many as possable. I know that most of the sheeple are afraid to do anything because they have been beaten down so much for so many of their lives & I do believe that many of the suddenly lucky among them become afraid to take the chance to help others because they know from their own experences that everybody is out to screw you over at any cost. I myself have been beaten, arrested & tossed in jail for nothing more than the fact that I tried to help another. Unfortunatly, sometimes the only way you can get back into living life to it's fullest is to grab your cohones & maybe not so blindly jump in where fools fear to tread. I believe we choose this live for a purpose, that we need chalenges to overcome to teach us what we need to learn for ourselves. For many, that may mean to screw up the courage to take a chance, talk to that crazy homeless person or give a kid a chance. Sometimes its something as simple as a smile to a stranger on the street. You may piss them off & get stabbed to death, but you'll never know until you try. I feel the alternative is to hide in your shell & never realize how wonderful live can really be.
The idea is of course to maintain moral parity. It's about the best allocation of resources.
I observe the analogy of electricity or electronics. Our global systems are similar to electronic circuits... and in fact, they are electronic circuits. We need well designed pathways, and we need to balance the flow of electrons/money.
Greed and wealth can often appear to be directed to well meaning causes, but we need universal balance... and not an overload on our circuit breakers. Fair exchange and truthful balance are what I believe to be the most healthy approach to take.
Amassing wealth for "good causes", and then directing the activity in an overbearing manner is not a sustainable method of solving problems.
Anyway, that's just a short comment. I'm just trying to participate a bit... as I am sort of AWOL from this board a lot. I've been off doing audio work the past few weeks... trying to get ready for some 'radio' or podcasting work.
The idea is of course to maintain moral parity. It's about the best allocation of resources.
I observe the analogy of electricity or electronics. Our global systems are similar to electronic circuits... and in fact, they are electronic circuits. We need well designed pathways, and we need to balance the flow of electrons/money.
Greed and wealth can often appear to be directed to well meaning causes, but we need universal balance... and not an overload on our circuit breakers. Fair exchange and truthful balance are what I believe to be the most healthy approach to take.
Amassing wealth for "good causes", and then directing the activity in an overbearing manner is not a sustainable method of solving problems.
Anyway, that's just a short comment. I'm just trying to participate a bit... as I am sort of AWOL from this board a lot. I've been off doing audio work the past few weeks... trying to get ready for some 'radio' or podcasting work.
I'd like to disagree ever so slightly.
Our universe's systems are indeed circuits, but very complicated series-parallel circuits operating on, I believe, spiritual energy, which I believe is omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. If we can figure out how to divert this energy to our cause, the evils will be the losers.