Stuff - Why do we have so much?
I'm reading a fascinating book, "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond. It's about how the societies that rule today came to rule in the first place, but that's a long, two-volume story.
Anyway, in the prologue, Diamond tells a story about a long walk he took with a native of what is now Papua New Guinea, a guy named Yali. They're talking about how white civilization changed New Guinea centuries ago, "imposed centralized government, and brought material goods whose value New Guineans instantly recognized, ranging from steel axes, matches, and medicines to clothing, soft drinks, and umbrellas. In New Guinea all these goods were referred to collectively as 'cargo.'"
But Yali asked the question: "Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had little cargo of our own?"
Well, Jared Diamond says the answer to Yali's question is his book's purpose. (And what a wonderful book it is.)
But this posting isn't about the book. It's about us. What about you? How much "cargo" do you have? And how valuable is most of it?
Anyway, in the prologue, Diamond tells a story about a long walk he took with a native of what is now Papua New Guinea, a guy named Yali. They're talking about how white civilization changed New Guinea centuries ago, "imposed centralized government, and brought material goods whose value New Guineans instantly recognized, ranging from steel axes, matches, and medicines to clothing, soft drinks, and umbrellas. In New Guinea all these goods were referred to collectively as 'cargo.'"
But Yali asked the question: "Why is it that you white people developed so much cargo and brought it to New Guinea, but we black people had little cargo of our own?"
Well, Jared Diamond says the answer to Yali's question is his book's purpose. (And what a wonderful book it is.)
But this posting isn't about the book. It's about us. What about you? How much "cargo" do you have? And how valuable is most of it?
posted by Mark Burris - BURRIS at 2/09/2005 08:01:00 PM
2 Comments:
I'm reminded of a story about my friend R.B. Jennings. R.B. is always misplacing his stuff: his day-timer, his wallet, whatever. (He's kind of high maintenance.) Once R.B. was flying to the UK, and he planned to fly on the Concorde. His best buddy, Jim Crouch, asked him, "R.B., why fly the Concorde?" "I'll get there sooner," R.B. replied. Crouch countered, "But, R.B., if you get there sooner, you'll just have more time to lose stuff. If you fly a regular plane, you'll be in the air longer, but at least you'll confine the area in which the stuff could be."
hehe =)
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