weebiscuit
Well-Known Member
James, I will never understand the attack on capitalism that I hear various people spouting these days. If not capitalism, then what? Socialism? Communism? Third World poverty? Why are people always so quick to denigrate the very system that made our nation the industrial leader of the world?
Capitalism is the ONLY system which rewards the efforts of the individual. It is the only system which in which anyone with enough initiative and ambition can climb the ladder of success and be assured of keeping the fruits of his labor.
You wrote: "While being financialy successfull and motivated is not inheritantly wrong, they are far from the most "pure" morals. "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game", "as long as it's for the right reasons" or "I'm not just doing it for the money". We have all heard these statements, we were taught them, they carried weight and value. These basic values are reflected in most major religion. The main point, your soul is more valuable than any possesion, dont worship false idols. Almost all lessons that the bible teaches us are based on these thoughts and being selfless."
I guess I see things differently. I look at the historical context of much of what we learned from the Bible or from the succeeding lessons taught to us by our churches. They all stress humility, obedience, service, and they teach us that poverty is somehow to be considered noble. They teach us that richness of the spirit is greater than riches in gold. But ALL these "dictums" were aimed at a populace that were in and out of bondage to one usurper or another. No one had a chance to rise above his "station" because the ruling class was sacrosanct. So adages, rules, and tenets were developed to keep the sullen masses in their place.
The current season of Lent that many churches observed... this was started during the Middle Ages ONLY as a way to appease the peasants, who had little to eat, where bound as serfs to their masters, and had no hope of ever climbing out of their lowly caste. But they grumbled enough about their conditions to scare their lords and masters, who always had meat on their tables, so the ruling class and the church got together and decided that they would "fast" during the weeks before Easter. It had nothing to do with religion. It had everything to do with appeasing the peasants.
So many of our current attitudes towards capitalism come from the old peasant class during the Middle Ages and earlier. The jealousy of being the "have nots." And thus, the ensuing hatred of the "haves." Only today the "haves" are called the One Percenters and today's peasants are the Occupy Wall Streeters who are mad because they are unemployed. they are mad at those with the money. But if they themselves didn't want the exact same thing, i.e., the "money" then why would they protest? They'd shrug it off. But they want what they don't have, and hate the people that DO have it, while at the same time they all strive to HAVE IT.
None of it makes much sense to me.
Capitalism is the ONLY system which rewards the efforts of the individual. It is the only system which in which anyone with enough initiative and ambition can climb the ladder of success and be assured of keeping the fruits of his labor.
You wrote: "While being financialy successfull and motivated is not inheritantly wrong, they are far from the most "pure" morals. "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game", "as long as it's for the right reasons" or "I'm not just doing it for the money". We have all heard these statements, we were taught them, they carried weight and value. These basic values are reflected in most major religion. The main point, your soul is more valuable than any possesion, dont worship false idols. Almost all lessons that the bible teaches us are based on these thoughts and being selfless."
I guess I see things differently. I look at the historical context of much of what we learned from the Bible or from the succeeding lessons taught to us by our churches. They all stress humility, obedience, service, and they teach us that poverty is somehow to be considered noble. They teach us that richness of the spirit is greater than riches in gold. But ALL these "dictums" were aimed at a populace that were in and out of bondage to one usurper or another. No one had a chance to rise above his "station" because the ruling class was sacrosanct. So adages, rules, and tenets were developed to keep the sullen masses in their place.
The current season of Lent that many churches observed... this was started during the Middle Ages ONLY as a way to appease the peasants, who had little to eat, where bound as serfs to their masters, and had no hope of ever climbing out of their lowly caste. But they grumbled enough about their conditions to scare their lords and masters, who always had meat on their tables, so the ruling class and the church got together and decided that they would "fast" during the weeks before Easter. It had nothing to do with religion. It had everything to do with appeasing the peasants.
So many of our current attitudes towards capitalism come from the old peasant class during the Middle Ages and earlier. The jealousy of being the "have nots." And thus, the ensuing hatred of the "haves." Only today the "haves" are called the One Percenters and today's peasants are the Occupy Wall Streeters who are mad because they are unemployed. they are mad at those with the money. But if they themselves didn't want the exact same thing, i.e., the "money" then why would they protest? They'd shrug it off. But they want what they don't have, and hate the people that DO have it, while at the same time they all strive to HAVE IT.
None of it makes much sense to me.
