Joan wrote: ><< I just assumed we would be living in a world with more or less the >same >infrastructure and same energy capabilities as we have today. I still do >not >know if the crash changes any thing that much, because for me, any society >that I would >envision, deals with the values that the society would promote, and those >values would apply crash or no crash.>> > >I wish I could believe in that. That is what I would hope for. But what I >fear will likely happen will be more along the lines of the Rodney King >riots >in LA, except the race line would be instead: that of 'who has what who >wants'. I'm afraid your probably right, and that is why I hope we are able to make significant changes before the crash occurs. Here in Canada, there seems to be the genesis of a debate as to what will happen as the worlds resources become ever more scarce. Since Canada is a huge country with plentiful resources and a relatively small population, it seems likely that we will still have a surplus of resources when most of the rest of the world has run dry. Some fear the U.S coming in and taking what they want, others see it as an opportunity for massive profit, and still others think we should willingly share our resources with the most needy. If the crash were to happen tomorrow I'm pretty certain the result would be a combination of the first two. > > <<What I do know is that capitalism thrives on humanities worst > characteristics, the 7 deadly sins comes to mind, and striving to make > society work in such a way that peoples better qualities are rewarded is > what I support.>> > >People will take those 'seven deadlies', with them where ever they go, they >seem to creep out of the shadows of even the best without much warning. We >won't be outdistancing our physic goblins if the sky falls: we will be >facing >them down everywhere we look. >Can you imagine Lenin at some early point trying to figure out how to >ensure >that his followers actually followed his higher aspirations, and not their >own lower inclinations? Must have driven him nuts knowing what they could >do, >but realizing that they would not. >Morality and ethics will not be legislated; 'good behaviour' is much >tougher >to encourage without paying for it. Especially in a population raised in a >constant barrage of media promises of instant gratification. >How do you get people to behave better simply because it's better for them? >I've read the suggestions that behavioural conditioning is appropriate, but >I >am not a B F Skinner fan, and I think we put that one to bed decades ago. >There is simply too much appetite for control over others in the human >psyche. There is a strain of thinking in psychology that says, everyone makes the best decision they possibly can in any given situation. This decision is based on complex factors, including life history, organic traits of that individual, and also societal cues, among others. If we could create a society that, at least, does not reward behaviors such as greed, vanity, etc, then we might find other human characteristics become more dominant. Of course we will always have a vast range of human behavior and there will always be conflict between those with differing views and interests. Personally I think this is a good thing, because otherwise life would be pretty boring. > > << As to exactly what that would look like I don't know. There are some > things I think are important, such as, people having as much say in an >issue > as to which they are affected by it, Splitting up work in such a way that > everyone does as much rewarding work and drudge work as another. >> > >Well, when you say this to a woman who has raised sons in a family in which >only the women do housework, just how do you think they will receive this >good news? >I'll tell you. They snort: Yeah, right. Everyone is equal, but some are >more >equal than others and they are the men, not the women. >Some of my employees are women of southeastern asian cultures in which the >women earn all the income and the men stay at home (as holy men...). >I like your intentions, but I don't trust the execution of them by everyone >else, left to their own inclinations... There are exceptions, but I don't >know very many. This type of thing seems like it would be dealt with outside of the economic structure. I am probably the least qualified person to discuss gender and kinship issues so I won't try. >We need to be prepared to deal with the unfolding circumstances with >flexibility and resourcefulness. This is the only certainty. Sincerely, Aaron. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. _______________________________________________ Crashlist resources: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.wwpublish.com/mailman/listinfo/crashlist
