If only things were not as they are.
If only everyone would contribute whatever they are capable of without need for payment.
If only everyone would take only what they need.
If only everyone would pitch in to help a neighbor in need.
If only everyone greeted everyone else with a smile.
If only everyone respected everyone else.
If only everyone picked up after themselves.
If only no one stole from others.
If only no one lied.
And it could be, only if we weren't human.
But then there'd be cities, no trains, or planes, or automobiles. No large farms, no Ipods, no computers (no blogs!), no cell phones, no space exploration, no Hubble telescope, no cure for polio, no cancer research, no movies, no books, no museums to hold and exhibit works of art and catalog achievements of mankind, no bicycles, no electricity, no tall buildings, no mass production of anything, no refrigerators, no air conditioners, no schools, just a constant daily struggle to survive. Like all the other animals.
But we are human and that means we are never satisfied with what we have. We always want more. More for ourselves, more for our families, better lives for our children, less struggle, safer lives, easier lives. And we reward those who help provide these things. And so people try to provide them. And so civilization advances and lives are better and safer and easier.
We are what we are.
A Night Unremembered
13 years ago
16 comments:
Guess that just goes to show, one should be careful of what one wishes for. There are hidden problems or dangers in everything.
Yes human nature is to want more, to excel at all we do, strive for the best. Sometimes though it is good to be satisfied.
A constant balance of want versus need, isn't it?
Pearl
I understand the reference, but you still lost me at point number 3. No, I don't think we should all just settle for what we need, and I think that separates the people that value property rights from the people that think we all need to be miserable for that nebulous entity called "society." As in, you should be miserable, but nobody else should.
So of course, I agree with your points that came after. The freedom to profit from labor is what has brought us to where we are now, and capitalism has done more for 3rd world (or formerly 3rd world) nations in the past 30 years than all humanitarian aid (aka handouts) has done.
As property rights and capitalism spreads, necessities become cheaper, and maybe someday we will reach the socialist nirvana where people who have no drive to work will still be able to live. We'll have driven the price of all necessities close to zero (and land will be the only commodity that they'll need to do their few hours of weekly work to pay for, or more if they don't want to settle for huge group housing.) As long as we don't hinder the people who DO want to succeed and innovate and profit, everybody will benefit.
Of course, part of that, I think, is getting rid of the crony capitalism (and huge amount of Federal power) that exists in our country. I 100% support huge corporations. I support removing corporate taxes (that end up being paid for by individuals anyway). I absolutely do not support the way they're able to buy laws to make sure they have no competition.
I have some pretty extreme libertarian (small-L) ideals, but that doesn't mean I'm not grounded in reality. I can argue for hours about the way things "should be," but I recognize that they'll never be that way- and the only way to make things better is by implementing the ideals of liberty and property slowly, with a basis in law (which our Constitution does pretty well but we've been ignoring since the '30s).
I'm rambling like I always do, but I think the left have a lot of good intentions in their hearts. They just don't realize that their good intentions don't work. They're afraid of guns and want to lower gun crime - but gun control is not the way to make that happen (and the 2nd amendment is there to keep Government in check and guarantee our right to defend our Life and Property against those who would infringe on them, not to guarantee our right to hunt). They want to eliminate the suffering of the poor - but minimum wage laws, limiting the rich from making money, and giving handouts isn't the way to solve that.
I read an interesting article yesterday about Warren G. Harding, who single-handedly brought about our lowest peacetime unemployment ever, and our 2nd lowest unemployment overall. He did it with basically the opposite policies that FDR employed (who ended up having something like 20-30% unemployment and a horrible economy all through the New Deal, until WWII came along). http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9880
Eric and Pearl - I love it when people quickly grasp the point.
Steven - Back to class. Or just read it all. Again. To answer your rant (a good one, mind you): I know.
i dont think it's human nature. i think it's human conditioning.
I've been working on a blog about the very same topic, slightly different stance. Part of my silly ongoing ReOrg Earth topic...
I don't have much faith in human kind, but I DO feel that there are enough human beings available to do every job, willingly.
I will elaborate later and hope to hear your take on the matter.
I did read it again...twice.
I wasn't arguing, I was agreeing with you 100%. My comment about #3 was because about the rest I could say "sure, in a parallel universe that WOULD be nice," while #3 could only fit for me if it said "everybody had no wants beyond their needs." Impossible, but sure, I could see how that'd be nice.
So I suppose I was only agreeing 99%.
(Cell phone post, I blame my keyboard for any and all mistakes!)
...and I don't need to argue to get on a good rant, all it takes is an impetus and a forum or open ear. So I rant in agreement too. Ha. Character flaw.
OK, I'm sorry, I was wrong, delete my comments. Every time I start ranting first thing in the morning I find my flaws after lunch.
I disagree with your conclusion. The US is one of the few remaining places in the world where people are allowed to be rewarded for their work, and the populace is clamoring for an end to that. The guy we elected may not live up to his rhetoric, but he ran on wealth envy and that we should just "get with the rest of the world" and get us some European-style socialism, and it got eaten up with enthusiasm.
We're not having kids for a myriad reasons, but one in my mind is that this place won't be anywhere I'd want to live by the time they're adults.
Yolanda - Which is the conditioning? the "If only..." part? or the Reality part?
Hektik - I look forward to it.
Steven - I am not talking about systems, politics, or countries. I am talking about human beings.
By the way, you may yet change your mind about children though I fully understand your feelings of today.
It's not the nature of animals. We do have a bigger brain, and acertain facility for conscience, remorse, contrition, etc. Unfortunately, under the 'right' conditions, that survival animalistic portion of the brain takes over and we all can become savages.
Key is to develop a construct so that such behavior does not manifest itself with much frequency. It can be done.
I am often amused, amazed, perplexed, and/or impressed by how various people perceive what I write.
Douglas...
Not only am I caught up in my perception of what you have written but alas I do not even have free time now to comment!. Until later:>)
Linda
OK, I'm sorry, I was wrong, delete my comments. Every time I start ranting first thing in the morning I find my flaws after lunch.
I disagree with your conclusion. The US is one of the few remaining places in the world where people are allowed to be rewarded for their work, and the populace is clamoring for an end to that. The guy we elected may not live up to his rhetoric, but he ran on wealth envy and that we should just "get with the rest of the world" and get us some European-style socialism, and it got eaten up with enthusiasm.
We're not having kids for a myriad reasons, but one in my mind is that this place won't be anywhere I'd want to live by the time they're adults.
Eric and Pearl - I love it when people quickly grasp the point.
Steven - Back to class. Or just read it all. Again. To answer your rant (a good one, mind you): I know.
...and I don't need to argue to get on a good rant, all it takes is an impetus and a forum or open ear. So I rant in agreement too. Ha. Character flaw.
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