RE: [pf] activism

At 18:52 6/02/00 -0800, tully wrote:
>  Don't we need to see how unimportant material things are?  That they 
>are nothing compared to the life of the human heart or soul?
>
**  Absolutely!

>At 15:57 6/02/00 -0800, Kaleopono wrote:
>>Damage or destruction of this sort is actual theft of the labor 
>>that was required to obtain those tools.
>
[tully: ]
> ... Maybe the thief needed those tools more than the craftsman did. 

**  That's been my attitude to property; we've had a ladder stolen, but we
still leave the replacement outside - just somewhat less obvious.


[tully: ]
> Our whole culture is so fixated on things.  
>We labor for hours to earn the money to buy ...  We must start 
>seeing this in a new perspective or the world will never change 
>and we will continue to revere material wealth over all other wealth 
>and our world will be lost as a result.
>
>>Somebody's blood, sweat and tears (so to speak) goes into the creation
>>of all tangible property. 

**  Nonsense; sorry Kaleopono. You're right about the creation of tangible
property in the past: Maori are rightly proud of the meeting-houses and
other parts of marae here - I'm sure there's something similar in Hawaii.
    Also in the past, I put together a little one-tube radio with great
care when I was about 13 and still feel proud that it worked without having
soldered connections.
    The current commercial "imperative", lowest cost and highest selling
price (quite independent of actual intrinsic value), is evidence that the
business world took a wrong turning back in the 1950s. Tangible property
has little value now, and usually negative, as tully's said (quoted below).


>> Even the corporate facades of McDonalds
>>incorporate this huge investment of human care, creativity and labor.

**  A craftsman's "blood, sweat and tears" is _no_longer_ invested in e.g.
a McDonalds facade. Yes, there is a little carpentry and glazing skill, but
_very_little_: I could probably do it myself!
    I was talking with a plumber, commenting on the origin of his trade's
name, and he offered the comment that these days he was really only a 
fitter.
    Two days ago my wife bought some non-stick baking pans, made in the USA
and very cheap: they had obviously (at least to me) been made in huge
batches by a big machine with _nobody_ arround to contribute blood, sweat
and tears.

[tully: ]
>I don't share this sentiment.  Where you see craft, I see lowest bidder, 
>sweatshop labor, more material being taken from the earth, for 
>what?  Another fast food restaurant.  Just what we need.  I shiver with 
>anger when I see the recent renovation of our local MacDonalds, ... 
>where the old was not damaged or in need of replacement.
>


[Kaleopono: ]
>>    If one travels on the High Road, there is no possibility of
>>impeachment of one's motives and principles.  If one travels on 
>>the Low Road, though, it is virtually certain that one's motives 
>>and principles will be compromised. 

**  Once again I disagree, but with the dichotomy: "this" OR "that".
    Reminds me of someone else's "no violence, none!". I brought up our
kids to immediately be suspicious when someone says: "never" or "always";
even if that person was me!

**  The world's not like that, simple right, and everything else is wrong.

David.
(David MacClement) davd@ihug.co.nz 
www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/3142/Pg1-AD11.html
 or better: http://www.emucities.com.au/member/davd/
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