[ExI] christmas songs 2

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of Anna Taylor
> Subject: [ExI] christmas songs 2
> 
> seienchan at gmail.com wrote Tue Dec 11 01:36:14 UTC
> 2007:
> 
> >Okay, well. The story assumes that charity is a good
> >thing. This is just plain wrong... seien



> ...The idea behind the Scrooge idea was to show how all the money
> in the world doesn't bring you happiness...

...assuming the level of technology available in 1843.  In those grim days,
having a ton of money meant only that one had a relatively comfortable house
with an arbitrarily large army of personal servants and plenty of food.
Beyond that, money couldn't buy much.  The best medical care money could buy
in those days was more likely to kill you than cure you, for instance.  

> ...and at most brings you closer to solitude...

There is a lot to be said for solitude.  In 1843, one gave up privacy to
hire household servants to take care of the grinding labor of daily
survival.  Could you imagine having a dozen people hanging around, in your
home, at all times?  I would not like that.

> ...Once Scrooge discovers the idea of giving he no longer
> holds close the idea of possession...

The idea I take away is that without the appropriate technology, wealth
alone is of little value.  The poorest among us would surely be unwilling to
give up their modern destitution in exchange for being the richest person on
the planet a mere thousand years ago.  What say ye, highly intelligent but
capital challenged friends?  Any takers? 

spike