random thead 2

How much is the blood of the planet worth? Right now there are no fair trade options all trade going through the currency system. The value of a dollar takes on different proportions. Fair trade is exchanging something of equal vital nature.
Obviously by virtue of the dollar taking on different proportions we have the rich and the poor.

 

What do you mean with blood of the planet and worth? Are all coffee plantations and trade destructive in your book or something?
Do you find fair trade initiatives pointless? I'm sorry but I don't understand what's your point exactly. I hope you reword it?

 

The planet has it's own circulatory system. Trade is between me and you. World trade trades for what?

 

What does that mean in regards to fair trade?

 

Genuine trade is for every action there is an equal and complementary reaction.
Fair trade is a matter of dispute.

 

Hm the way I see it you can't get more genuine trade than go fair trade (especially with products from former exploited farmers) but ok.

 

Do you know what might be available under your feet if you had not learned that everything comes from store? I mean what kind of living does your local geographical habitat provide? What kind of pollution could exist to those attuned to the the providence of their environment? You appreciate fairness in a system that is essentially disproportionate and in the current system affluence in one location ensures poverty in another. We share in the abundance of the planet. You could always ask yourself how much energy are you willing to invest to have a cup of coffee from africa instead of setting the price on the good life.

 

No ones suffering is special.

 

i have had tragic events and not reacted too much to them. and i have had minor inconveniences and have way overreacted to them. i was from the same country both times.

 

How politically correct and nice of you.

 

True, but there are varying degrees of suffering. Obviously, the hardship--both psychological and physical--of the Palestinian boy is going to be more intense than that of the boy who had his video games taken from him.

 

I think thedope is just coming from a solely theoretical approach there. I'm sure if he had to comfort someone he would not go that way

 

Lately, I've been thinking about what is at the core of the world's/people's problems. Any thoughts on that?

 

As thedope would probably say: the world does not have any problems. People however, at the core: desire, greed, jealousy, (installed) expectations perhaps? Just from the top of my head though. Airyfox/Maelstrom concluded it has to be (religious/spiritual) faith.

 

Perhaps belief is the problem, and not faith. And I'm not talking about religious belief alone. There are the installed beliefs in the differences between peoples of the world, the belief in the boundary lines between countries that causes us to call our fellow humans foreigners. Maybe the problem is the belief in things that don't really exist.

And though the world may not have any problems, the planet might.

 

Maybe certain specific beliefs are problematic but how and why do people get those problematic beliefs in the first place? To me beliefs never are the problem as I am aware people can have disturbing beliefs but at the same time are rational enough not to act upon them. What makes certain people act upon their beliefs in a way it infringes on the happiness of others? I'm afraid that could and should ideally be waged/judged/analyzed on an individual basis. Reality/the world might just not be so simple that there is one thing to blame for all peoples problems. I have the feeling that is wishful thinking, almost to the extent that believing there is a one sentence answer to that can be called faith on itself :biggrin: That's why I find people as Airy who claim it is that simple and unnuanced to be quite hilarious

 

Ok, but let's say that the people of a country--any country--believe in the authority of their leader/president/king. In the past, all it took was an accusation by one of the religious authorities to have a person burned alive, or jailed for claiming that the earth was flat. The people far outnumbered the religious authorities, but their belief in the authorities prevented them from putting a stop to obvious atrocities.

Likewise, today it takes only a belief in the authority of a president/king/ruler to allow them to start a godawful war in which hundreds of thousands will die for reasons which may or may not prove truthful. The power of belief cannot be underestimated.

 

Ignorance.

Why,

because people believe perception is knowledge.

It used to be that evil spirits caused illness now viruses and bacteria are the suspects. The human population is rampant with superstition about almost everything. Perception rightly is an interrogative as we look to see what is there. It's purpose is finding direction and recognition points it out. Right now people try to point out what is there and then wait for recognition.

 

People try to point out what is there, like they do when they see a face or an animal or anything else under the sun in the texture of a passing cloud. Recognition (validation?) is a matter of taste. Perception, like the images in the passing cloud are soon gone and replaced by more images that feed's one's perception.