On 04/11/2014 10:22 AM, Steve Smith wrote:
Are our only options extremes such as all rushing headlong to become the
new "robber barons" ourselves, based on your (possible) ability/agility
to manipulate said "new social manifold" (great term by the way, unless
it is just another way avoiding saying "landscape";) or taking the
oppressive route as told in Vonnegut's tale of imposed social equality
through handicapping everyone down to a least common denominator.
Perhaps it is the question of the commons where the commons is Glen's
"new social manifold". Can we in any way apply our presumed
"enlightened self interest" to the shaping of said commons or restating
the above? Bending dangerously the "landscape metaphor, do we just
carve huge moguls in it with our rambunctious race to the bottom,
exposing rocks and other hazards thereby undermining the experience of
all others on the slopes except the most keenly facile? Or do we take
an army of bulldozers to the slopes and make a flat plain of them to be
enjoyed by all equally with no advantage proffered to diversity of
circumstance and ability?
My hatred of the term "landscape" is partly because your question is
ill-formed. It implies a natural "up" and "down". But in our reality,
there are lots of different ways to define success. What we need to do
is embrace these definitions and provide a clear explication of an
individual's options _early_ on ... like when they're 2 years old or
so... at least before the pruning.
We don't do that because we _can't_ do that. We're so caught up in our
own myopia about the limited ways to define success.... mostly _money_
because without money, at least in our country, you can't do sh!t. You
can't even keep yourself alive when there's perfectly good medicine just
down the street.
So, the first part of the alternative is to take away that harsh
pressure toward the single solution of money. We need to work harder to
ensure that everyone has enough to eat and access to healthcare. In
parallel, we need to work harder to understand the range of ways we can
reward ourselves for productive work. Personally, I'd work the rest of
my life for just enough food, an internet connection, and a cabin in the
woods. (which is probably all my artifacts are worth, anyway... if that)
--
⇒⇐ glen
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