Among the Homeless - Charles DiBella, Hopi Information Network
Tom Boland (wgcp@earthlink.net)
Sun, 9 May 1999 17:08:07 -0700 (PDT)
FWD Sun, 2 May 1999
From: "AnotheR BytE Inc." <abyte@boris.infomagic.com>
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Among the Homeless
by Charles DiBella
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Charles DiBella has been living and
learning among the homeless in America
for the past five years, and is the
founder of AnotheR BytE, the developer
of the Hopi Information Network,
and the co-founder of the
Himalayan Community.
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Americans as Consumers
Often Americans are labeled consumers, and
rightly so. All humans consume to some
extent, but undoubtedly, Americans
overconsume.
Americans comprise less than 5 percent of the
world's population, yet consume over 50
percent of the world's resources. In the
Global village, we consume more than our
fair share.
Through capitalism, we have come to believe
that we have achieved one of the highest
standards of living in the world. Yet around
the world, people of all nations feel there
is something seriously askew.
While the majority of the world population is
lacking some basic essential, Americans have
gone beyond concern for essentials, and are
overly concerned with acquiring luxuries and
non-essential goods.
Despite all our abundance, our youth are
becoming increasingly violent or despondent.
Far too many kids end up as adults with
addictions and emotional disorders, and
millions spend their time on the streets,
in gangs, or in jail.
Our solution to crime and addiction is to
blame parents, provide counseling and
pharmaceuticals, build more prisons, hire
more police, and enact more laws.
Most of our citizenry is in denial about the
true nature of our problem, focusing on
symptoms rather than root causes.
Politicians and the media use polls and
statistics to justify any popular viewpoint
or solution.
Rarely does anyone attack our material and
capitalist way of life, nor do they have the
courage to bite the hand that feeds them.
Through each passing year, our political,
judicial, educational, and social welfare
systems reveal their inadequacies in
bigger ways.
When a tradegy or catastrophe occurs, we
have a need to place blame, litigate, and
investigate who or what was at fault.
It is reasoned that if we can identify the
cause or prosecute the perpetrator, we can
prevent such an occurrance from happening
again.
Such reasoning may hold some merit, but all
too often we fail to look deep enough.
Many will agree that nations will prosper if
they promote and engage in capitalism, or
free enterprise.
It seems logical that competition between
firms will best satisify the needs and
desires of the consumer.
It is argued that those firms which can best
meet the demands of the consumer with the
highest quality and the lowest cost will
succeed over those who do not, and in the
long run everyone will prosper.
Once the basic needs of a nation have been
met through the efficient production and
distribution of essential goods, such
production and distribution becomes standard
fare, and the role of competition is greatly
diminished.
In such a case, competition is only necessary
to the degree where it will prevent stagnation
and corruption.
The main problem in our society is that our
form of capitalistic competition has gone out
of control to the point where we are not only
a detriment to ourselves, but also the world.
The primary reward for the capitalist is to
attain greater and greater levels of personal
wealth, not only for himself, but also for
his associates.
Such a concern is selfish, often insatiable,
and in the long run, not in the best
interests of this planet or any of it's
inhabitants.
For the most part, through the multi-national
corporation, capitalism is engaged in a
worldwide battle to produce and distribute
non-essential goods.
Essential goods can be defined as adequate
food, clothing, and shelter, whereas
non-essential goods can be defined as
anything other than these.
This race to produce and distribute an
endless stream of non-essential goods is the
primary reason our earth is being ravaged
and destroyed.
It is argued that as long as capitalism
succeeds, the wealth of those at the top will
trickle down and provide for those at the
bottom.
This argument fails to recognize that there
are not enough renewable resources on earth
to provide for the insatiable greed of those
at the top who live off the exploits of the
earth and those beneath them.
Instead of improving distribution methods for
essential goods, and instead of seeing to it
that everyone on earth is fed and clothed,
the proponents of capitalism have found
greater profits in supplying non-essential
goods to those who demand them.
If the demand for non-essential goods ever
wanes, then such is easily fortified through
professional advertising and marketing
techniques. When the popularity of one
non-essential good diminishes, another is
surely to be found.
Certainly, capitalism is not about providing
everyone the world over with the minimum
necessities of life, or to satisfy the
essential needs of all people equally,
rather it is focused upon satisfying the
non-essential desires of the economically
elect.
The Cult of the Econically Elect
Capitalism today is a philosophy held and
practiced by a select group which provides
for their own essential and non-essential
needs.
The waste and abundance that is created in
this process of self-satisfaction and
resource explotation trickles down to appease
the not-so-fortunate masses.
In nearly all countries of the world today,
there is an increasing gap between the haves
and have-nots.
Among the poor, as long as there exists hope
that something, someday will trickle down to
them, they will remain appeased.
But an increasing group of people are
beginning to see the injustice and futile
nature of this carrot-on-a-stick game.
Ultimately, the masquerade will end as the
root and cause of economic disparity reveals
itself to more and more of the earth's
oppressed peoples.
As this happens, greater discontent and
dissention will rise to culminate into school
shootings, gang warfare, neighborhood
uprisings, social revolutions, terrorism,
and world war.
Few are willing to admit it, but our way of
doing business is our philosophy, our way of
life, and it will never bring world peace
and equality.
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Commentaries welcomed
http://www.infomagic.com/~abyte/hopi/
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