Dear Kieth, thanks for the warm welcome back, good to be back! I read the links you sent - fine, eloquent words. I think I must have become synical about certain aspects of life, especially here in the UK. We have a massive drugs problem brewing here, and with that an increase in related crime, as well as a huge influx of economic migrants & reffugees from Eastern Europe, Iraq etc. We have an ever growing population of Asian people, a very hard working & successful group in our society. All these factors are dramatically changing the way many look at things here, society is becomming fragmented too quickly for many to adjust to comfortably. The UK is a small Island compared to the US, so it is easy to understand how selfishness and greed can creep into the phsychy of the nation as a whole - as the land & resources run out, panic sets in & people become deffensive & possessive over what they have. This situation has led many Brits to upsticks & move to Spain & elsewhere - perhaps that's what they mean when they say globalisation? I guess you're right. Maybe "inherrant" was a bad choice of wording. However, whilst cooperation for mutual benefit goes on around us all the time as with this forum and more, there are traits of "greed" that pervade our lives also. This starts at a basic level, involving everyday people, & goes right to the top with our politicians, some of the biggest "greed" offenders of all time, "vested interests" & all that. Collectively we are all subscribing to a "greed" ellement in our lives, we vote for politicians. As consumers, we are fuelling the greed of corporations who want to profit from us. As biofuel advocates, yes we are striving to save us all from environmental ruin, but at the same time we rub our hands in glee that we could be providing fuel for our own use without lining the coffers of corporations and governments. We are all subscribing to a greed culture of sorts, but that in itself is no bad thing as long as it ensures healthy competition, choice, & benefit to all, leaving no one out of the equation. Unfortunately there are many in the world that are left out, which was really my point. As a biologist I see it as more of a case of parasitism or symbiosis, where the current emphasis, endorsed by politicians & corporations is of a parasitic nature - "take what you can no matter what the consequences - that's the next generation's problem" or, the symbiotic approach, "take what you need, use it wisely & don't take anymore untill you know there's plenty more to take from again" I'm not racist or fiercly nationalistic, I'm pro globalisation, it would help pull down the barriers between nations if we learned to share resources for the common good, but I just don't think we have learnt enough yet, as a species, to take things to that level, why? Because "greed" places that element of doubt & suspicion that triggers the selfish side of mankind. We have still a long way to go, and much to learn before we shrug off our greatest burdon. If I sound like I'm spouting a load of uneducated twaddle - please say so & I'll put on my sombraro and sod off to Spain with everyone else. Lol Regards Malcolm
Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Malcolm, by the way, welcome back! Glad you're okay. Regards Keith >Hello Malcolm > >>Interesting views aired, and valid too. But no nation is without >>guilt at some point in its history, in its treatment of its own >>nationals and those of other nations, past or present. >>The universal word that applies to us all, whatever nationality, is >>greed. As soon as we all loose this seemingly inherrant trait - the >>world will become something towards true freedom. I doubt I will >>see that day in my lifetime - but we have to hope, for the sake of >>our children. > >I don't agree with you that greed is a universal trait inherent to >all. It's an aberration, not at all normal. The major activity of >humans in society is cooperation. It's so common, ingrained in so >much that we do, and for so long, that we mostly fail to notice it, >like water to a fish. > >Please have a look at these two previous posts: > >http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/BIOFUEL/30675/ > >http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/BIOFUEL/30694/ > >Best wishes > >Keith > > >>Kindest regards >> >>Malcolm >> >>[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >>--- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, "balaji" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>Colonisation was not however an unmitigated disaster for >> > India and had many positives. >> >>"We are bringing them to Christianity" said Slater on the slave ship. >> >>An upright and honest judicial system that >> > continued to dispense humane justice in spite of the many black >>laws enacted >> > by the administration. >> >>The British judicial system was only intent upon ensuring the smooth >>exploitation of India - contracts law - that is what it was all >>about. Entire generations of Brahman were transformed from being >>spiritual non-materialistic beacons into judges who would ensure >>transactions that bled India of its resources. >> >>The many voices of conscience from Britain that spoke >> > up for the natives. >> >>Churchill's voice rose above them all: "naked little fakhir". Voices >>were raised around the world. Yet the British kept electing racist >>imperialistic governments >> >>The excellent education system which was mostly secular >> > with little attempt at religious proselytisation. >> >>To transform Indians into good little servants - engineers, technical >>workers, etc. to better exploit the nation. Indians left alone would >>nevertheless have an excellent school system. They have no one to >>thank. >> >>Proselytisation would have spelled an unmanageable jihad against the >>occupiers. It was a practical choice, nothing more. >> >>The basic railroad that >> > has mushroomed >> > into the largest in the world. >> >>The railroad was built to move resources and workers. It was a >>system designed to rob Indians of their resources as efficiently as >>possible. What Indians did with it after the Brits were booted out >>is a testament to Indians, not to the British. >> >> > >> > I think it had partly to do with the British sense of justice and >>fairplay >> > (it wasn't cricket) and the rule of law most of them abided by back >>in >> > Britain. >> >>What a crock. Where is the fair play in keeping an entire nation >>subjugated by force of arms?. The fairplay myth is just that, a >>myth. It may have existed on a coventry cricket field, but it did >>not exist in any colony of any empire. >> >>That's possibly why slave trading initiated by the British in the >> > Americas, >> > was abolished in 1807, long before it happened in the USA. >> >>more likely from the extreme guilt associated with being the world's >>number one and most ruthless slave traders. >> >> > >> > Regards. >> > >> > balaji >> >> >>good reading on the matter: >> >>Freedom struggle >>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/- >>/8173044422/qid=1084999512/sr=8-15/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i15_xgl14/103- >>3251336-7764659?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 >> >> >> >>Pierre Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups SponsorADVERTISEMENT --------------------------------- Yahoo! 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