Dear Ed,
Thanks for prompting me to follow through on how to manage nearly total "leisure time," with a keen eye to preventing the creation of innumerable wastrels.
I don't think I sent the following meme and blog post, but they are directly pertinent.
Fact Checked By Snopes: Warren Buffett Says If Just 800 Other American Companies Paid The Same 21% Tax Rate That His Company "Berkshire Hathaway" Pays, There Would Be No Need For Any Individual American To Pay Any Federal Income Tax Or Any Social Security Tax
My Dad promoted a 32 hour work week and saw a collapsing work week as inevitable. (Little did he know just how devious and avaricious America's capitalist pigs would become - and that they would eventually put a capitalist pig in The White House to destroy democracy (such as it is) and to push the fascist-corporate model so dear to Mussolini and der Fuhrer.
However, Dad also insisted that the nation must prepare for her citizens to use their newfound free-time in ways that satisfied the mind, spirit and heart.
And so, to further my Dad's theoretical progress, I propose two years of obligatory national service so that people -- while they are still young -- discover the pleasures (and often the joy) of working "in service to others," or working for a cause bigger than the rugged individualism of their enclosed selves.
I think organizations like FDR's Civilian Conservation Corps can serve as models.
I envision a whole host of things to do with "community gardens" and other agricultural initiatives that focus on the improvement of productive techniques (tailored to local biosystems) that avoid the use of toxins and fertilizers that "burn" the soil.
The government -- with nationwide "idea-input" -- could draw up a list of certified organizations for which people might perform obligatory service.
Similarly -- and perhaps inter-relatedly -- I propose unprecedentedly vigorous dedication to the arts, right down to the level of having places like Summer Camps where people could go to learn crafts, or where they could be formerly employed, perhaps as a quid pro quo in which work/creativity would be exchanged/bartered for one's sustenance "paycheck."
People who are interested in music and theatre could pursue their creative dreams, accumulating video "proof" of "rehearsal time" and "public performance time" in order to "earn their keep."
"Singing for their supper..." if you will.
Ken Burns gets at the philosophical (and artistic) substrate of such economic and social transformation.
I encourage you to listen to the segment of Burns' address (starting at the 4:13 mark) in which Abraham Lincoln takes on his central role in this Brandeis commencement address.
At the 6:50 mark, Burns recites a litany of our national characteristics that are not only damaging to our body politic, but "conspire" to prevent repair. It is a remarkably insightful examination of our shadow side as a people.
Burns' piece de resistance begins at the 12:35 mark. Don't miss it!
Ya basta!
Adelante caminante, ni un paso atrás!
Pax et amor
Alan
On Sat, Jun 1, 2024 at 1:41 PM Ed Myer <remyer20002000@yahoo.com> wrote:
¿Y? . . .On May 29, 2024, at 12:12 AM, Ed Myer <remyer20002000@yahoo.com> wrote:Hola Compa — another issue: millions of youth w/ no goal /purpose resort to mischief/ guns/ etc. Seems that might be set to expand if no need to work…¿no?EdSent from my iPhoneOn May 22, 2024, at 10:57 PM, Ed Myer <remyer20002000@yahoo.com> wrote:Compa, One problem w/ this concept from Buckminster Fuller (which is covered in any review of a healthy retirement): our/human well-being & longevity are critically tied to having “purpose.” For MANY their employment is tied pretty closely to their sense of “purpose.”So what’s going to keep us engaged? … our purpose for being? I’m including the masses beyond individuals.Just wondering (since you’ve figured this out :)EdSent from my iPhoneOn May 22, 2024, at 4:57 PM, Alan Archibald <alanarchibaldo@gmail.com> wrote:Buckminster Fuller
Buckminster Fuller: Compendium Of Keen Observation, Wonderful Innovation, And Deep Dive Pursuit Of Truth -- Without Which We Have Nothing... No Matter How Wealthy We Might Measure Ourselves To Be
Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller: "The Most Idealistic Is The Realistically Most Practical"
"Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth," By Buckminster Fuller - Free Online PDF File
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