Neil, as is the case quite often, your post appears to be from a place of disillusionment. Not that I wish a Pollyannaish point of view, but with as much insight as you have, I have great hopes for future offers presenting more practice in wiping the excrement from those not so rose colored glasses.
The throw-away lines you like to close with, while containing a tad of a pedagogical Bill Porter (O. Henry), are so lightly presented as to become more ethereal than instructive. On Apr 26, 1:28 am, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > We have two toilets, but also water rates. What is given with one > hand is taken away with the other. Poverty easily becomes the Monty > Python joke, until one sees real people living in a 'shoe-box' in a > central reservation in Sao Paulo. In serious vein, we are > overpopulating and producing spurious notions of meritocracy and > democracy as merely superior forms of human resource management. > One might see it this way: We are merely vessels for the survival of > our genetic material. Thus one dominates the world with CIA-assisted > marketing of banal but standardised software, steals eggs from one's > partner, transplants one's DNA into such eggs and speeds the result > off into the vastness, ensuring the survival of one's DNA. There is > now no need for the human world at all. Victory is assured as soon as > one gets a gullible politico to push a red button. Quite what the > purpose of the triumph of one's DNA is in such circumstances might get > more debate than it does. > > On 26 Apr, 05:30, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Dang! I left out the toilet, my home has two full baths, I'm living > > like royalty!! > > > I'm going to borrow that Ghandi quote for the collective mentality > > thread, thanks! > > > On Apr 25, 11:14 pm, ornamentalmind <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > A poster on the wall at work: > > > > If your home has something other than a dirt floor you are in the top > > > half of the world’s population. > > > > If your home has a roof, a door, windows and more than one room, you > > > are in the top 20%. > > > > If you have refrigeration, you are in the top 5%. > > > > If you have a car, a microwave, a video, a computer and this toilet > > > has a cubicle door, then you are in the top 1%. > > > > “We must be the change we want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi > > > > On Apr 25, 5:58 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > In further retrospect I have to say that there were many times I > > > > realized the poverty in which my youth had developed but now I realize > > > > when witnessing the abject poverty of third world countries that I am > > > > living the life of luxury just by the mere fact that I can walk over > > > > to a sink and get water, take hot showers, have a refrigerator and a > > > > microwave oven. We can take life for granted which is why the wealthy > > > > and privileged keep hording. It is basically the concept of relative > > > > deprivation. > > > > > On Apr 25, 7:16 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Maybe 'read' was a typo for 'ride' Slip. I get confused easily these > > > > > days - good job you are about to fix my intentionality. Boys' Town > > > > > was obviously a privileged place - our first car was a borrowed > > > > > Vandenplas Princess with bald tires, followed by a Morris Oxford my > > > > > brother fixed. England was always a poor place with memories of > > > > > walking, waiting for buses that came sometimes, though we often spent > > > > > our fare money on a shared bag of chips, eating them whilst clinging > > > > > to the rear door rail of the bus sparking our clogs. Credit was > > > > > something for the few who bed and breakfasted or shorted shares, > > > > > travelling in chauffeur-driven cars -plus ca change ... > > > > > > On 26 Apr, 00:37, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Something along that line...and I see Gruff right at home on that > > > > > > seat. ;) > > > > > > > On Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 7:11 PM, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > NIce! My old man had one of those and sold it off when I was too > > > > > > > young to realize the value of it. > > > > > > > > You made the off the wall connection though, Chris, it must be the > > > > > > > Floridian Hooch eh? > > > > > > > > On Apr 25, 3:33 pm, Chris Jenkins <[email protected]> > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > >> Like so? > > > > > > > >>http://www.american-v.co.uk/custom_bikes/001_indian/01c_indian_12.jpg > > > > > > > >> On Sat, Apr 25, 2009 at 12:16 AM, Slip Disc <[email protected]> > > > > > > >> wrote: > > > > > > > >> > Gruff's auto? Is there some kind of car trouble? > > > > > > > >> > Really Arch! New thread without a "Link"? > > > > > > > >> > Imagine what some Indian might be thinking! > > > > > > > >> > On Apr 24, 11:01 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > >> >> An easy read Gruff - in the sense it went down well. Found > > > > > > >> >> myself > > > > > > >> >> wondering whether the themes repeat often through later years > > > > > > >> >> and > > > > > > >> >> wanting to know more. > > > > > > >> >> Neil- Hide quoted text - > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
