Re: Life Duty Death

Javilk (javilk@shell1.best.com)
12 Sep 1995 06:32:53 GMT

Julie Locascio (julie.cpc@mhs.unc.edu) wrote:

: If you define "lowest common denominator" as meaning everybody has an equal
: right to be born, and we should share the world's resources as best we can,
: yes, that is how I feel. And, again I will repeate, economic stability leads
: to demographic stability, not vice versa.

By the way, America does seem to export a lot of food... whereas
some countries just seem to import a lot of food. The better ones tend to
turn that food into automobiles and camcorders for the other countries...

Several interesting examples of unrestricted access, or free sharing,
come to mind. One is the availabiligy of manganese nodules on the ocean
floor. Since a treaty made them available to all nations, no major mining
concern has made any effort to develop means of mining them. There had
been talk of doing so till the treatey was signed; but if one could not
defend ones investment in exploration, why risk the investment?
A similar thing happened to the moon. Since we could not have any
exclusives, nor had any reason to defend it, we just abandoned our
efforts there as well.
But we see this every day in the commercial decision making of the
pharmaceuticals industry. While many herbs do as well or better than
soem drugs, no one is really pushing them because there is no sense in
trying to spend the money in developing a market presense where there is
no exclusive territory, and hence no profit.

While trade may be a terrible way to run the world, it seems to beat
dictatorship and monarchy by a long shot. Trade began in the stone age
when the stone for arrowheads was quarried and traded several hundred
miles to places where the arrowheads were made. Those arrowheads were
then traded across most of Europe.

Do consider that we are not the only species who has destroyed our
habitat, run up our numbers till we have exceeded our ability to support
oourselves, etc. Species in nature do that ALL THE TIME! It isn't just
the lemmings, it's the deer, the wolves, the mice, even the forest trees
themselves, that change the environment till they can no longer sustain as
many of themselves. Have you heard of the natural procession of the
species in forests? Or of ecological balances that sway too far in one
direction, than too far in the other?
It just takes a few life spans for these kinds of oscillations to
occur. Those who do not know history, are doomed to repeat it. (Maybe
they are doomed to repeat it anyway!)
With our intelligence, we are beginning to see better ways of doing
things. Many of our rivers are once again running clean enough to fish
in. The Great Lakes are recovering. The air is FAR cleaner than it use
to be in the 70's! (NOt to mention the way it use to be when we burnt
wood in fireplaces to heat our homes. Why do you think we had such tall
ceilings in those old buildings? SMOKE!)
As long as we disagree intelligently, citing specifics and giving
references to our thoughts; the discussion will illuminate us all. If,
on the other hand, we resort to name calling and absolutisms, the
conversation helps none of us.

-J- (Javilk@best.com)------------------------------------------------
Think Manageable, Think Personal, Think Responsible, Think Pagan. ---
Then take what actions may help all, and hurt none. -----------------