Re: Science and Unemployment...
ted (ted@mathworks.com)
30 Jun 1995 12:37:30 GMT
In article <3svl13$lt@dingo.cc.uq.oz.au>, shelter@peg.apc.org says...
>altogether. There things are going on in a very simple way without much
>emphasis on economic development. Things go on in much the same way as
>they have been going on since time immemorial. There are no new models
>coming out, no new building materials, no multinational corporations, no
>new fads. Life is simple.
No new medicines either I suppose, but even more so, what you are suggesting
also implies no new ideas. But I suspect you are wrong about this, you
were only there for what, a few weeks? Had you been there for a decade
I might accept this more, but given that India has (probably) nuclear
weapons and a large and growing software industry, I don't believe that
the country is as static as you suggest.
[snip Indian rural life]
>nowhere near as busy as we are in the Western world. They have time to
>think and time to serve God. When I saw this I was amazed. My Western
If you were to live a similar life over here you would also have plenty
of time to serve God, or whatever you choose. I have some friends who
are out of the "consumer trap" you wail about. They have part-time jobs
and survive just fine, with plenty of spare time to do whatever they
want. So if you wanted to do that in Australia, I'm sure you could, but
then, where would you get the cash to go on a nice long holiday to India?
You can bet that the Indians you rave about aren't flying over to
Sydney to see how you live...
[snip]
>amenities we take for granted. There is no running water, no hot water,
>no electricity, hardly any furniture, no household gadgets, no carpets,
>none of the stuff we fill our houses with, yet I could perceive these
>people were happy and peaceful in this lifestyle. They have a peacefulness
>you just cant find in Pitt Street Mall, or anywhere in Sydney for that
>matter.
>
And what is it like when there is a drought or heavy storm? How many die
of dysentry because of no water purification plants. Its all fine and
dandy to be romantic about the past but this doesn't really sound all that
different from the cliche "noble savage living hand in hand with nature"
crap that we hear all the time from people who are guilty that they are
living better than [insert favorite group here].
>Their incomes are very small compared to our standards. We get twenty
>rupees for one Australian dollar and in Indian villages if someone is
>making twenty rupees a day its considered a huge income. They really
>dont need so much money because their lifestyle is simple. Its not that
>they are poor or missing out on anything...they have good food, clothes
>and comfortable houses, what else do they need?
And you could live as well, or better than them over here for almost the same
cost; but then you wouldn't be taking exotic vacations to India...
>Seeing this lifestyle prompted me to compare it with ours in Australia. I
>dont think we are better off than the Indian villagers. This was
>initially quite a shock to me as I had assimilated all the subtle
>brainwashing our society gives us to instill in us the desire to consume
>to the maximum possible extent and thus keep the capitalistic machinery
>running.
[snip propaganda about the evils of capitalism]
>We are missing the wood for the trees, we have no idea what we are trying
>to achieve in this life, we are simply going from one sense gratification
>program to the next, and we are never satisfied with any of them. The
>thing is we never have any time to think. Actually thinking is not
>encouraged by our society, if we have any spare time there are so many
Ah, but can you name a society where thinking is actively encouraged? How
is this done? From my experience, my parents encouraged me to 'think' and
use my mind, but 'society' never did much one way or the other. Some
societies I can think of seem to actually _discourage_ thinking, like the
old Soviet Union, China, South Korea, any country led by religious
government ...
>mindless diversions to consume our energy. We can watch the television,
>play some sport, go to the beach, take some drugs, find a girl and try to
>arrange some sex life, go to a party, go to a disco, go to a pub, go to a
>restaurant, go to the movies, read the newspaper, go shopping... there is
>no end to the list of diversions available to us... perhaps thats why we
>consider ours an advanced society?
And how is this really different from India? They have drugs there too I
would suspect. I am sure that they have sex, and what are parties, pubs and
discos but places to socialize with each other which is not exclusive to
western society.
>Thank you. Hare Krishna!
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