Re: Cohousing and Economies [off-topic]
From: Gary D. Shapiro (garyesiname.com)
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 14:47:37 -0700 (MST)
>Poverty has been
>with us since the earliest civilizations.  This persistence is remarkable,
>and anyone hoping to "eradicate poverty" needs to think about it carefully.

Exactly! Or maybe not remarkable at all.

Humans (homo sapiens, homo erectus, homo habilis) have been around for 3 or 4 
million years. Poverty is an invention of, goes hand-in-hand with, 
civilization, which has been around for only about 10,000 years. A main feature 
of civilization is that one group locks up the food and the other group has to 
work for the first group to get any. Before civilization we just walked around 
a little and gathered up food. And then shared it.

You're right: 6 bizillion of us can't go back to what was before civilization, 
but we're pretty smart, us humans. Certainly we can invent something new that 
is beyond civilization. But first we have to shed a Belief System (note those 
initials) that civilization has indoctrinated us with in order to perpetuate 
itself.

~Beyond Civilization~ is the new book by Daniel Quinn that challenges our 
beliefs about the way we live and invites us to invent new ways. It answers 
every one of the objections you're raising to the few points I've made or 
implied.

If we are to survive as a species, change is a requirement, not an option.  
http://www.beyondcivilization.com  

--
We have sought to dominate Mother Nature and have succeeded to such
an extent that she now lies mortally wounded at our feet.
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