Thursday, October 28, 2010
Just Something to Ponder
Why should the man who inherits the capacity to learn to steer rockets through space earn a higher income than the man who is born with the capacity to drive buses? Are justice and equity any better served when rewards are distributed according to inherited genes rather than inherited dollars?
Friday, October 1, 2010
Are Todays Better than Yesterdays?
In an era when we are obsessed with technology and instant gratification, are we setting ourselves up for greater disappointment? Our advancement and innovative progress has been the topic of discussion before. It can be debated both ways...that this progress is both a gift and a detriment to our society.
I hear my parents and grandparents complain all the time about how crazy kids are these days and how nobody has morals anymore. I tell people that I would have loved to grow up and live in the 1950's or 60's because times were better, easier, simpler. All of this I believe to be true; it was simpler. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize they weren't any different at all. Just like today, they made mistakes; they disappointed people they loved and hurt those they didn't.
It only seems that today is worse than yesterday because all our misgivings are out there in the open for everyone to see. It is highly likely that Presidents have been cheating on their wives since the days of Washington and Martha. It just happens that our increased dependency on media, and therefore scandal, exposed Bill Clinton. The ability to be satisfied through one partner for an entire lifetime was just as difficult one hundred years ago as it is today. Unfortunately, the web of connections through Facebook, Twitter, and text messages makes it almost impossible for your wife to hide her passionate connection with someone else. Your boss knows you had an interview last week with your firm's biggest competition. Your mother knows you lied to her about sneaking out after your curfew. It is easier to find the betrayal and unfaithfulness, discovering your fear is more than misplaced intuition.
Over the centuries, we haven't devolved. We're still as human as we ever were. The only difference is that people now know the truth. Do think this is better or worse? I believe ignorance IS bliss. A century ago, we may have been living falsehoods and facades, but people were happy.
I hear my parents and grandparents complain all the time about how crazy kids are these days and how nobody has morals anymore. I tell people that I would have loved to grow up and live in the 1950's or 60's because times were better, easier, simpler. All of this I believe to be true; it was simpler. However, the more I think about it, the more I realize they weren't any different at all. Just like today, they made mistakes; they disappointed people they loved and hurt those they didn't.
It only seems that today is worse than yesterday because all our misgivings are out there in the open for everyone to see. It is highly likely that Presidents have been cheating on their wives since the days of Washington and Martha. It just happens that our increased dependency on media, and therefore scandal, exposed Bill Clinton. The ability to be satisfied through one partner for an entire lifetime was just as difficult one hundred years ago as it is today. Unfortunately, the web of connections through Facebook, Twitter, and text messages makes it almost impossible for your wife to hide her passionate connection with someone else. Your boss knows you had an interview last week with your firm's biggest competition. Your mother knows you lied to her about sneaking out after your curfew. It is easier to find the betrayal and unfaithfulness, discovering your fear is more than misplaced intuition.
Over the centuries, we haven't devolved. We're still as human as we ever were. The only difference is that people now know the truth. Do think this is better or worse? I believe ignorance IS bliss. A century ago, we may have been living falsehoods and facades, but people were happy.
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