Differing Views

While Anthony was demonstrating the versatility of his Tesla, we began a discussion that quickly veered into politics. When this happens, I usually change the subject, but this time I got drawn in.

In the excitement of going from zero to sixty in just over 3 seconds, we lost the thread but took it up later via text. Herewith is where we went...

FROM ANTHONY:

Also we never got to finish the conversation.
The reason I love capitalism is because it's the best system we have as it can be summed up as. Money concentrates on the person/people that add the most value.
For example. Elon musk came to the US with just $1000 and over $100,000 in student loans, invented PayPal, which was the first digital wallet system. He then sold that to eBay for around 200 million. He didn't put that money into buying Tesla and brought it from what it initially was to what it is. Now. He then created neural link and SpaceX. These two companies push the limits of what we as human being thought was possible. So with his share in all these companies, it made him from living under the poverty line to the world's richest man.

The Elon musk is a South African national. Born in South Africa but decided to move to the United States because of the opportunity, in other words, it was because he saw that he could make more money in America than anywhere in the world. World. Any creative products are value that humanity thought is valuable and they purchased his product. This is why capitalism is the greatest thing ever created because as long as you're adding value to the system, the market will compensate you monetarily for how much value you're adding to the system.
The other two systems we have is socialism and communism. We all know how communism turns out. For example, Hitler or China or North Korea.
Socialism is an interesting idea, but never really works. For example, Venezuela. The way socialism works is that everyone gets paid equally regardless of the work they put in. The thing with that is it never rewards people that are hard working or people that want to create things for the betterment of humanity because there is no incentive for them to do that. If everyone gets paid the same why should I work more and why should I create products? There is no reason for me to innovate. The reason I didn't go to a socialist country like some of the European countries. Is because I never would be able to be compensated fairly for the skills and the work that I do. That's why I also choose to move to America 😃

Like for me the reason I could afford the Tesla is because I took over 4 years studying electronics engineering. And now companies see that as of value. So they are willing to pay me over six figures for my services.

This seriously is the greatest country on Earth

From MFH:

Anthony,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. What concerns me is the focus on materialism and the lack of social conscience.

I'm not sure wherefrom my Mother's generosity sprang (her family was Dutch), but from an early age we were taught the satisfaction of sharing. Throughout my life a guiding tenet has been to help where I can. Though we never lacked for anything, especially love, we were, during my childhood, close to poverty.

My father was from an upper-class, German family in which it was customary for the young men, around age 16, to be apprenticed to an older woman to learn the art of love-making.

My parents divorced when I was ten and our economic situation changed drastically. Though my apprenticeship never materialized, my studies began at age 12 when I chanced upon the book, *Modern Sex Techniques.*

Over the years, my 30+ relationships have shown me ever-increasing levels of intimacy and joy. Now, at age 70, having never made it beyond an income of $30,000/annum, if given the opportunity to do it over, I would change very little.  I have received and given more love than anyone else I know.

Also, after being in the Southwest for nearly fifty years and being around Native Americans, I had a few occassions to experience their kindness, generosity and humor. As far as I can tell none of the tribes around Albuquerque are particularly materialistic. "Give-aways," a societal custom, are still frequently practiced; capitalism is not innate.

Art, in its various manifestations, was, from an early age, an important dimension. When we were in Japan we traveled extensively to experience the culture. I was too young to attend many of the events, but my parents enjoyed Japanese opera, music, cuisine and my mother began practicing yoga there.

In Germany, when we went off the army post, we passed as Germans. I attended operas, ballets, symphonies and dance performances. Every weekend we went somewhere to see a cultural event or historical place. My Dad was status-conscious and always drove a Mercedes. We ate at good restaurants and I was taught proper behavior. Though all the above enabled me to function at many levels of society, and though I appreciate the lustre of gems and admire the creativity of haute couture, I find most "things" uninteresting.

That said, I enjoyed my years of owning my gallery. During that time I held what I think was probably the first national exhibit of digital art; I also had a national exhibit of feminist art. My status was such I was asked to write a letter of recommendation for a Chinese woman who wanted to immigrate.

I took pride in selling more work than anyone else ever had....because I helped artists avoid the drudgery of "making a living."

I hope someday people will evolve to an altuistic state that finds satisfaction in creativity for its own sake and will come to appreciate the joys of deep  intimacy, which, from my experience, requires a willingness to give as much as being able to accept.

In the meantime, I hope that people like yourself will recognize the interconnectedness of the natural systems that make life on earth more than a venue for technological development and do what you can (NOT have children) to protect what remains.

I appreciate what *Advocates For the West* do and donate when I can. Please consider including them in your charitable contributions.

And if you have time, please send a note now and then about how you're doing.

Good Luck!

Sincerely,

       Mike

Attached is page 244 from *Your Brain On Art* ©2023 by Magsamen & Ross. I thought you might find it tangentially relevant to your work.

      Mike

Below is most of p.244 from Your Brain On Art

You are the curator of your life, and you've created an enriched environment in your home that reflects your aesthetics. You prioritize your intuitive taste over what popular culture says you should like, because you understand the unique confluence of your own aesthetic triad. You also appreciate how your default mode network has made meaning out of your lived experiences. There's art that you've made, or art that you've collected, that challenges your thinking and enriches you.u

You have a daily art practice that is as vital to you as exercise and meditation routines. Art, you now understand, only a hobby, a conversation with yourself, a way to connect your mind, body, and spirit and to support your health and wellness. Some days, it's just twenty minutes of sketching or doodling to reduce cortisol after a chal- lenging or stressful experience. Other times, it's something tactile, like sculpting with clay, knitting, or gardening, where your mind wanders and I you are in a flow state. The sensation of working the clay, the yarn, the soil, in your hands stimulates skin and nerve endings and ig- nites the body's internal sensory receptors. Through sensorimotor pathways, you feel instantly attentive, awake, and receptive. Art- making here is not about the end product. It is a process, an active way of being and knowing.

As your day progresses, should a headache hit, a dose of dance and movement helps; when anxiety rises, tuning forks in C and G create a sound wave that soothes the fight-flight-freeze response and elicits relaxation.

On this day, you make time to be in nature. The sunrise, a red cardinal alighting on a branch, wind in your hair, the yellow freshness off dafodils, all inspire brief pause to appreciate the awe of the natural world. Being reconnected to nature's rhythms supports and us, and you are now more aware that these simple everyday aesthetic

244

From Anthony

Good morning! Thanks for the response.
Thanks for sharing and opening up about your life.
I love the generosity, care for the environment and social conscience you have. That is really awesome!
I don't think though that all of it and capitalism (being wealthy) need to be mutually exclusive. You can be wealthy and still love and care for people and nature.
It all depends on the values you were brought up with and which of those values a person still carry.

Also art and creativity isn't just expressed in paintings or the traditional fine arts. Creativity is expressed in engineering, architecture, math, and other STEM fields too. I always expressed my creativity in making devices or gadgets that made people's lives easier. Like an automated irrigation system for the garden plants. Or a remote controlled/voice activated appliances. I built these for hobby projects years ago. And that's a way I and a lot of people express creativity.
Like for example: Thomas Edison invented the light bulb that is now foundational in replacing candles that were more harmful to the environment.
Ford invented the car assembly system that replaced humans using horses to get around.
Einstein discovered the principle of general and special relationship which is crucial is literally all modern systems like GPS, WI-FI, 4G 5G. Without it life would be so much difficult.
These creative inventions propelled the human civilization into the future and benefited all of humanity. Hence why people in that field make a lot of money. Because honestly these are way more important than a painting or music or something that just makes people feel nice.

I do appreciate fine art  but I would never want that to replace innovation.

And also I do not believe in reducing the human population (eugenics).
I believe that everything was created for humans and we are called to be good stewards of the earth. Yes there are people who don't do a good job but there are people who do an amazing job at it too.
God created the universe for us. We need to have more children and eventually populate the universe.
Right now humanity may be heading towards a decline which isn't good. We need to increase our population as we are now on the brink of colonizing Mars and the moon. Which is amazing.
What a waste of the universe if the human species collapses. Humans are the most intelligent and brilliant species in the whole universe. I'm definitely planning on having many kids, at least 3. Because I see value in humanity. In the way God created us and I'm excited in how bright and awesome the future is.
They're will come a day when we have so innovated that we can support a massive population flawlessly and harmoniously with all of nature!

FROM MFH

Anthony,

I think we've done a good job of articulating our differences. Though my blog is my means of compensating for my poor memory, I get around 75 hits each day. Would it be okay with you if I posted our exchange?

Regardless, thanks again for sharing your thoughts. And again...

Good Luck!

FROM ANTHONY

Sure yeah feel free to do that! It's America. You have your first amendment freedom of speech 

FROM MFH

Anthony,

My partner in California is watching, with her grandaughter, the emergence of a monarch butterfly.

I was led to the article (link at bottom) below from other articles about the subsidies to farmers to help restore the monarch....a major pollinator.

Habitat loss is the main reason for monarch decline. I have several other articles that provide in-depth information, but my point is: over-population is the world's greatest problem. Technology, while amazing, lacks a holistic perspective....one, perhaps, too complex to be comprehended...even by the new god of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

While there may be a few good, even EXEMPLARY stewards, after traveling The West for over a decade, I have seen firsthand that the majority give little to no thought beyond their next pickup truck. It is my opinion that christianity is responsible for the current state of things.

Unlike fundamentalists the world over, my perception doesn't include genocide (or conversion) as alternatives. Science has been held out as being "the answer" long enough that we're now seeing how difficult it is to anticipate its long-term effects. While I find your enthusiasm heart-warming, I'm afraid my own view is that humanity is, though it may last awhile longer, a "failed experiment." (pun -- against science -- intended)

https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2015/06/19/updated-usda-program-enables-farmers-and-ranchers-help-monarch-butterflies

USWF Grants now total 8.2B
https://www.nfwf.org/what-we-do

https://www.nfwf.org/programs/monarch-butterfly-and-pollinators-conservation-fund

With financial assistance from Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), producers and conservation partners can plant milkweed and nectar-rich plants along field borders, in buffers along waterways or around wetlands, in pastures and other suitable locations.

Funds are allocated through the Farm Bill.
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/monarch-butterflies

Shockingly, farm subsidies under the Trump administration “ballooned from just over $4 billion in 2017 to more than $20 billion in 2020 – driven largely by ad hoc programs meant to offset the effects of President Trump’s failed trade war,” according to ewg.org, a nonpartisan research organization.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bakersfield.com/opinion/community-voices/community-voices-federal-farm-subsidies-capitalism-or-socialism/article_4c25252c-d854-11eb-bf7f-17a2161b14f3.amp.html

The "Socialist" Farm Bill
https://www.cato.org/blog/farm-bill-socialism-senate

Agricultural Subsidies are Socialist
https://www.farm-news.com/2020/07/01/us-agriculture-is-socialist/

MORE Agricultural & Coal Subsidies too.
https://brownpoliticalreview.org/2021/04/american-socialism-accept-it-but-do-it-right/

And then, there's the whole business of the Dutch buying old tankers, filling them with crude & parking them offshore to keep prices up. I wandered into *that* one (it may just be another piece of internet garbage) when researching the Gulf spill and the continued allowance of offshore drilling in exchange for passage of permanent funding for The Land and Conservation Fund.

Senator Martin Heinrich, who I admire, took some credit for helping keep the L & C Fund alive. It's a national "pot" that helps buy open space next to cities, purchase parcels to expand parks and funds other "small" acquisitions throughout the nation. It was threatened with extinction but saved by relinquishing the safety of our coastal waters.

Martin has done an astounding job of juggling the many "special interests" in New Mexico. But it wasn't until I got deep into the Gulf Oil Spill that I uncovered the bargain that was struck. As Anthony points out...it rewards those who add the most value.