tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117656190037380057.comments2009-01-26T09:01:52.456-05:00Collective TrendsJulia Rhodes Davishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11891010326602788807noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117656190037380057.post-3971817209378099872009-01-26T09:01:00.000-05:002009-01-26T09:01:00.000-05:00A friend responded to me directly about this posti...A friend responded to me directly about this posting. I think it's a very thoughtful response and so wanted to share it with you...Ok, so honestly, a lot of what I “believe economically,” or whatever, is summed up in this statement:<BR/> <BR/>“All cannot know immense currency-backed wealth-- for if it were-- currency would be forever relegated to worthlessness, a simple law of supply and demand.”<BR/> <BR/>Basically, for me, that is a very meaningful statement, and what it boils down to is this… the more in my pile NECESSARILY MEANS, the less in others’. Therefore, for me to behave in a way that I can justify, I must not have more than I need (so that there may be more to be distributed amongst the others who also need it). Recently, I have learned that at least a small buffer is required, in order for emergencies to be dealt with, but the buffer IS small, and can easily be calculated.<BR/> <BR/>I think a lot of economic problems boil down to ego. I believe a lot of problems, essentially, boil down to ego, but I believe money’s relationship to ego may be used as a model for many, if not most, cases.<BR/> <BR/>It is incredibly obvious, especially in american society, that people are “judged” on their wealth. It is taken for granted that if you have something great, you must have done something great to obtain it; a statement that I have found to be nearly ubiquitously useless and untrue. So, quite often, people surround themselves with things that they believe others will admire, in order to get some admiration for themselves. That is no surprise to me, as professionally, in our society, people have traditionally been forced to sell out many of their beliefs, in order to excel, financially. Possibly, the reason it is so easy for them to do this, is because it is not only their own ego depending on the actual number of dollars being earned, but also, every member of their family.<BR/> <BR/>In short, it is possible that many people have been forced to do things that are unsatisfying to them, and not only lack the traditional tools of pride and strength, that would normally serve to perpetuate a respectful relationship between human beings, especially family members, but also have been given this ability to justify this “wealth collecting” behavior (and by this I mean, collecting more than they need), societally (sic), by cloaking the motivation of a decision from ego reinforcement, to familial provision.<BR/> <BR/>“The primacy of currency-backed economics means that while some are fighting for their stock portfolios, the rest are fighting for their lives. “<BR/> <BR/>Why should this be?<BR/> <BR/>“I am interested in how to turn lack of information, lack of understanding, and lack of “knowledge” into decisions—how not to be a turkey.”<BR/> <BR/>Everyone knows how to do this. EVERYONE (yes, I have faith in humanity). I guess that is one question I wish more people asked themselves though: “how can i not be a turkey?”<BR/> <BR/>“If you are comfortable living in the world and owning what you do not know, is it not easier to respond to an unexpected situation with a solution that has a better outcome? Is this why Carolyn Baker, author of Sacred Demise: Walking the Spiritual Path of Civilization’s Collapse, is so excited by collapse? “ …that’s the exciting thing about collapse—the breaking down of barriers and definitions that don’t work anymore.” ”<BR/> <BR/>First,I am reminded of a quote from one of smooth’s Taoist books of short stories or something, when the butcher responds to a customer who is requesting their “best” cut of meat… “but, all our meat is best.” Doesn’t a “better” situation ALWAYS arise for someone who is better capable of dealing with it? So a “comfortable” person CREATES a better situation AND is better able to deal with it, partially because they played an active role in its creation in the first place. Also, ALL creation comes from destruction.Julia Rhodes Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11891010326602788807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117656190037380057.post-1808287521258070182008-12-18T04:49:00.000-05:002008-12-18T04:49:00.000-05:00Julia, this is a wonderful project! I'm so enjoyin...Julia, this is a wonderful project! I'm so enjoying the links you embed in your posts. Thanking you for doing this!Natalie Gabrielahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12773849714040690526noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117656190037380057.post-68604427916442282008-12-16T11:02:00.000-05:002008-12-16T11:02:00.000-05:00Hey Julia,I've hard soo much about you from Addie ...Hey Julia,<BR/><BR/>I've hard soo much about you from Addie Owens and she promoted your blog via facebook messages to me! It looks awesome...and since we're on the topic, have you seen WiserEarth (http://www.wiserearth.org/) or read any of Paul Hawken's work. He's one of my father's favorites on the subject...<BR/><BR/>All the best, hope we get to meet sometime :)Alison Avigayilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15189306903844835401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6117656190037380057.post-59174428397601190302008-12-14T16:37:00.000-05:002008-12-14T16:37:00.000-05:00Sound like the Production Collective is off to a w...Sound like the Production Collective is off to a wonderful start! Combining entrepreneurship with a passion for justice comes very close to the top of my own sense of priorities. It was Burt Bacharach who wrote: "All the world needs now is love, sweet, love. That's the only thing there is too little of." Not! The ability to get things done, built an effective team, partner with others ... and moving along this path with a sense of humor and humility ... these things are needed too. Add effective entrepreneurship with love, and you have a powerful combination to create "the change we need."Charleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11471739541579222574noreply@blogger.com