The Milkman and Merchant

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RWStanding
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Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2016 12:23 pm

The Milkman and Merchant

Post by RWStanding »

The Milkman and Merchant
Hearing a brief part of a discussion on the economy, presumably, a milkman and a more affluent person gave their views. The milkman claimed that he did not think happiness was directly related to wealth and he had always been contented. The ‘merchant’ then claimed that people should get on with their own lives, and not be constrained by rules and regulations. There should be equality in political and similar ways but that did not mean people should be financially equal. Words to that effect.
In other words, perhaps, the body politic should be free to do what it wants as long as this did not relate to the present economic system. If indeed it is a system.
The ego has two ends, at one end people act in an insular way. At the other end the ambition is to impose on society and use the body politic. It is obvious that the two speakers mentioned were playing to the philosophy that is common today, of minding one’s own business. The difficulty there is that the merchant will in fact have influence over other lives. While the milkman may find he has to be satisfied with less and less, or at best so much as those in control provide on the basis of ‘bread and circuses’.
The ‘merchant’ may well believe and even have said that people should have equality of opportunity. But opportunity to do what - to impose or to share? And it is a peculiarity of wealth that it has thereby the means to create a hierarchy of wealth and privilege. Equality of opportunity necessitates so much sharing of social resources as to make those with financial wealth only privileged thereby to own an excess of trivia.
And in this regard, a plutocrat may well afford the trivia of a luxury launch. Making this may have some social advantage in developing technology. But it also absorbs the skills of technicians, and plain labour. Labour that might be doing work that is of direct benefit to society in general. The health service and its needs for instance. Merely making something does not add to real wealth it may diminish resources and the environment, and general welfare.
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