Just found this quote:
“We’ve lived by the assumption that what was good for us would be good for the world. We’ve been wrong. We must change our lives so that it will be possible to live by the contrary assumption that what is good for the world will be good for us. That requires that we make the effort to know the world and learn what is good for it. We must learn to cooperate in its processes and to yield to its limits. But even more important, we must learn to acknowledge that the creation is full of mystery. We will never clearly understand it. We must abandon arrogance and stand in awe. We must recover the sense of the majesty of the creation and the ability to be worshipful in its presence. For it is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it.” — Wendell Berry
The dollar is becoming the new Schrute Buck — and now it turns out all the things the dollar buys — if we can even afford them — aren’t good for the planet? I suppose they lied about the extra five minutes added to our lunch breaks, too.
Picture this if you will.
One big pie.
This pie is shared by the first world.
Every nation gets a slice, not every slice is the same size.
Every year, a new nation breaks into the first world.
The pie is the same size, more slices are cut at different sizes.
Every nation has something to offer.
Our nation offers consumption, high tech weapons,and information.
Our nation does not recognize the VALUE of a healthy and educated population. Health care and education are getting very expensive. These areas are being neglected.
Our middle class works harder and longer for less each year.
The leading three Democrats told us last night that it is our priority to support Israel and to protect our new “embasy” in Iraq.
The bill for support to Israel is over $84,000,000,000.
This years bill for Iraq will be $200,000,000,000
Oil has just busted $80.00 per barrel.
The dollar has lost 20% over the last 5 years.
Gold is headed up.
Real estate prices are “correcting”
Food prices are up.
The Republicans promise to make BUSH’S tax cuts permanent.
The Republican pres hopefuls fall all over each other over who loves God more (and Ronald Reagan, PBUH)
Rudy Guiliani has 9/11 tatooed on his ass and forehead, and imagines his penis as one of the twin towers.
MSNBC had Bernie Kirik on as a “consultant” last week, and used the term “axis of evil” referring to Iran. Bernie is real cool….
for a lying weasel.
On the right, we don’t hate gays, we just hate the sin.
But don’t let those co*ksuckers get married, no siree bob!That’ll ruin the sanctity, er sanctimony of marriage, not to mention protect our gay friends from the heartbreak of divorce.
The left loves gays, especially since Ahmadinejad said there are no gays in Iran. All of a sudden we’re real proud of our “queer folk”
There is debate regarding social security,
“we” will need to raise the age limit ( pity the poor laborer at age 65), “we” may need to tax beyond the current “cut-off” number.
It would be a real shame if “we” had to ask billionares to pay more s.s. taxes to keep old laborers in rice and beans for a couple more years.
The pie size remains the same. There are many pigs at the pie eating contest.
Pity the second and third world. We do not have to buy their products at fair value. Not as long as we have economic hit men and a strong military.
The strong do what they will, the weak do what they must.
One pie, many pigs to feed.The jokes on the pigs,’cause its a pork pie!
There is a company based out of CA, called ZAP – Zero Air Pollution. They sell an electric car, range 40 miles per charge, top speed 40 MPH, carries 4 people – but it’s small. But the carbon footprint is small, the pollution from electric, is way less than a gas engine – and a lot cheaper to run.
I just did the math; if the money we are spending on the war in Iraq was spent on those cars, we could buy – outright – 10 Million cars per year and give them to people as second cars for commuting. In the 4 years this war has been going on, we could take 40 MILLION internal combustion cars – off the road. With that much money being spent on that technology, the cars would get better, and the reduced demand for gas should cause prices of gas to fall.
If this was just a subsidised program – at 50%, we are talking 80 Million cars. Solutions are possible, but they won’t nescesarily please big oil – or car makers. Do any of the Democrats in the hunt – have the gumption to propose that kind of answer?
http://culturechange.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=124
Wendell Berry has said the right thing. But, to change the perspective of this country is asking a whole Hell of a lot.
American’s can’t seem to drop the meme of “Manifest Destiny.” American’s believe in exceptionalism; that WE are superior as a nation to others. Ask any of the Southern good-old boy’s I work with. They’ll tell you we are the greatest nation in the history of mankind. And that’s the world is our oyster for the taking. Shuck the rest of the world!
The truth is that America has done a lot of harm along the way. A lot of good, too. We need to maximize what we do right, and re-think what got us into messes like Iraq.
In his Burma speach, our idiot President sounded like the morlazing preacher who gives a sermon against homosexuality. And afterwards goes to a cheap motel with a young male hooker, while his wife and children go home to supper, wondering where daddy is.
In his actions, our not-so-dear-leader has given up any right to talk about democracy and freedom. Words mean nothing when they ring hollow. Actions do. The world knows hypocracy when it sees it.
Stifling democracy and free speach at home, while spying on citizens, makes our not-so-dear-leader like the preacher. A great moralizer while “speachifying” on the stump; an immoral hypocrite when he steps off. Or, is he amoral?
All of which begs the question – what is Bush? Immoral, or amoral? The answer may lead us to the introspection that Wendell Berry is asking of us. Our moral compass no longer guides us, if it ever did. And what are we, as a country, now? Immoral, or amoral?
Mr. Berry writes, “… we must learn to acknowledge that the creation is full of mystery.” We can’t learn that when we have leaders who see only black and white; good vs. evil. Manifest Destiny should be a thing of the past. Not our modern day rallying cry.