Heart Shall Be Bolder

Greetings!

In evaluating my life and times (mentally) I realized that after a long break, I have been doing quite a bit of reading.  Partly this is because I found a couple of good/provoking science fiction series.  [The following authors are not Christian, and should be read advisedly, but I found their work entertaining and/or thought provoking - in speculative ways: S.M. Stirling, Eric Flint/David Weber, Catherine Asaro]  The result of reading through this lighter material was that I eventually whetted my appetite for some more serious reading (and had built into my weekly schedule the time for doing so).

Of particular interest to me at the moment are works related to colonial and survival topics.  At the moment, I am reading through William Bradford’s "History of Plymouth Plantation".  When I finish with that, I hope to read a couple of monograms (scholarly books on the topic), and then turn my attention to "U.S. Army Survival Manual" and "Survival: how to prevail in hostile environments".  This reading program was sparked when I realized that it has been 10 years since I lived on a farm and had any close and sustained contact with (sort of) colonial style life.

Do I remember how to build a fire, or create a shelter in the woods?  Could I find food or navigate my way through field and forest if lost?  What should one do in the case of raiding raccoons, inquisitive bears, or rampaging army ants?  How does one locate the capital of Tuvalu using a single square of TP and a rusty pruning shear?

Having read halfway through the account by William Bradford, I am freshly amazed at the active hand of God at work in their lives and adventure.  Many other settlements were attempted, and most were better manned and supplied when they began.  Yet time and again these failed, while the Plymouth settlement slowly and painfully survived and then began to prosper.  These people suffered amazing trials, were persecuted, abandoned, and betrayed time and again by friends and partners (both in England and at Plymouth), their cargos were robbed by French and Turkish pirates, and they were generally met with misfortune after misfortune.  But they persevered and trusted in God and worked diligently to provide for their own needs, to pay their debts, and to help others as they were able.  From such humble beginnings, what a might work hath God wrought in this land!

And so, with many things to ponder, I leave you to your glowing computer screens with this admonition: make sure you are well stocked with lemonade fixings – for the heat of the summer months is soon upon you!

Thor

To anyone who reads this …

Thanks for not giving up on me.  Although, in all honesty, I would have given up on you

Ok, something short to start the ball rolling.  Pie [chart] economics.

For three years (8-10th grades) I taught a group of homeschoolers history once a week.  During that time we had many opportunities to discuss different economic models.  As I taught this material, especially once we reached the 1800′s and forward, I came to the conclusion that there are two basic perspectives when it comes to economics.  To illustrate these two perspectives, we move to dessert – specifically apple pie!

The first group basically believes that there is only one pie, which must be shared out among everyone present at the table.  Some systems advocate equally sharing the pie.  Others share the pie out on a basis of status or power or ablility – some get more and others less.  Many insist that those with larger pieces of pie should give up (or be forced to) some of their portion until everyone has a fair share.  Etc.

The second group fundamentally believes that if one doesn’t like the size of their piece of pie, then they should go and bake another pie.  Maybe they’ll only have enough resources or ability to make a tart – or perhaps one likes cookies or cupcakes better.  All the better!  The more that is made, the more there is to share around.  From this perspective, one is content to get a smaller piece of any individual pie because one is receiving multiple small pieces from the several pies.

Which group will be more welcoming of new guests to the table?  The first is likely to be resentful because each new face at the table means less for them.  The second is likely to be glad to see them, because there is the reasonable expectation that new people will add to the diversity and quantity of the desserts.

That’s my nutshell summary of economics.  I’ll end with one thought exercise for y’all to try.

As you drive around (or ride if you’re not able to drive yet), look around you at the different houses and buildings that you pass.  Try to guess how much it would cost to buy any one of those buildings (how much for a house, a townhouse, a barn, a shopping plaza, an office building, a gas station, etc).  Count the number of buildings, estimate the value for different types, multiply buildings by values, then add the different categories to a grand total.  My guess is that you’ll be amazed at how much wealth is quietly sitting there as you drive past.  Now figure that this is only what you pass on your daily route.  Then go to google maps, and see how big this country is compared to your small neighborhood …

Frankly, it boggles my mind.

So, I was reading a link from a friend of mine’s blog, and the following fact arrested my attention:
 
"Three decades ago, the people in well-to-do countries were 30 times better off than those in countries where the poorest 20 percent of the world’s people live. By 1998, this gap had widened to 82 times."
 
Let me rephrase that for y’all: in 1968, the well-to-do were 30 times better off than the poorest, and in 1998 the well-to-do were 82 times better off than the poorest.  From 30 to 82 is nearly three times better off (2.6 something to be more precise).
 
Now I’m going to go out on a major limb here and make a wild assumption.  I don’t expect that the poorest people on Earth can have gotten that much poorer – otherwise they simply wouldn’t be able to survive.  They’re pretty much already at subsistence levels and have been so for a long time.
 
Which leads me to the conclusion that we in the first world have gotten a whole lot better off in thirty years.  A basic list would include microwaves, cell phones, and computers; vastly improved planes, cars, and tvs; all the advances brought on by the space race (such as the materials used in wheelchairs); medical technologies such as heart surgery, organ transplants, sonograms, CAT and MRI scanners, DNA related tests and therapies, those little camera scopes that enable surgery without opening you up like a Christmas turkey, the rich and varied supply of drugs now commonly available, and the list just keeps going on (all those advances in dentristry, for example!).
 
And, the reality is that we’ve brought many of those advances to the poorest in the form of medical clinics, generic drugs, foreign aid, and business investments.  So, the poorest have – to some degree – benefitted from our massive advances.
 
This is NOT to say that there isn’t a big gap between us and them.  It is not to say that a little from us can’t do a great deal for them.  It isn’t to say that we should not do more.  But it is to say that we shouldn’t feel guilty for the increase in the gap. 
 
We haven’t taken more from the slice of the pie of the world’s poorest …. We have gone out and made 2.6 more pies!  As we give from those extra pies, the poorest have more than they had thirty years ago.
 
So, two challenges for you.  1) Given that you’re 82 times better off than the poorest in the world, yes, it would be appropriate for you to be purposeful about sharing more of what you have. But 2) Go forth and work hard, using the intelligence God gave you, to create and advance what we have here!
 
Think about it this way.  The previous generation(s), using the resources given to them, were able to increase their portion by 2.6 (from 30 to 82) times, while helping the poorest of the world.  For us to just match them would mean that in 2037 we would be 302 times better off than the poorest of the world.  And we can do a lot more now to help them, so that’s even more of a challenge.
 
Future post: pie-chart economics for the intellectually hungry.  BYOM (bring your own milk).
 
Thor

Folks, after a week and a half or so of snow (that turned to ice) we’re headed back to 60 degree weather.

I’m tempted to complain, but I’ll resist.  Sam and I had fun slipping and sliding about for the last few days.  We regularly walk across a particular field on the way to where I have to park my truck.  The morning that the snow fell, it was very heavy, wet snow and it really captured our footprints.  Then the weather turned cold and the whole mass of snow (approx 3-4 inches thick) turned into a solid sheet of ice.  There, preserved for the entire week, were our footprints.  It was sort of like walking past the footsteps of prehistoric man. 

BigNut and I are back at it (y’may need to scroll down a bit to find it).

That’s the news for today.

Folks, the internet connection is up and live, but I must soon wend my weary way to bed.

A comment: having spent portions of the evening reading other peoples’ blogs – I realized that I REALLY don’t have this picture thing down.  On the other hand, I don’t have a camera and I don’t want to risk surfing the web for pictures (talk about a potentially massive waste of time).  So, for all you folks out there who do make good use of pictures – thanks!  I am amused and inspired and too lazy to do anything about it, except make sure that I check back regularly.

Thor