Thrift
Thrift is the opposite of profligacy, the opposite of waste. Thrift was a virtue and a necessity in the early days of this country. We worked by adages such as 'waste not, want not'. During the Great Depression the saying went- 'use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without'. Rationing during World War II reinforced this necessity.
Things have changed, and not for the better. Thrift is still practiced by many, but, due to consumerism, our country has become a horror of irresponsibility and waste. For a sober indictment of the practice of irresponsible consumerism, read
http://www.globalissues.org/issue/235/consumption-and-consumerism . It is an excellent write up. I reproduce the following.
'...And consider the following, reflecting world priorities:
Global Priority $U.S. Billions
Cosmetics in the United States 8
Ice cream in Europe 11
Perfumes in Europe and the United States 12
Pet foods in Europe and the United States 17
Business entertainment in Japan 35
Cigarettes in Europe 50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe 105
Narcotics drugs in the world 400
Military spending in the world 780
And compare that to what was estimated as additional costs to achieve universal access to basic social services in all developing countries:
Global Priority $U.S. Billions
Basic education for all 6
Water and sanitation for all 9
Reproductive health for all women 12
Basic health and nutrition 13
Things have changed, and not for the better. Thrift is still practiced by many, but, due to consumerism, our country has become a horror of irresponsibility and waste. For a sober indictment of the practice of irresponsible consumerism, read
http://www.globalissues.org/issue/235/consumption-and-consumerism . It is an excellent write up. I reproduce the following.
'...And consider the following, reflecting world priorities:
Global Priority $U.S. Billions
Cosmetics in the United States 8
Ice cream in Europe 11
Perfumes in Europe and the United States 12
Pet foods in Europe and the United States 17
Business entertainment in Japan 35
Cigarettes in Europe 50
Alcoholic drinks in Europe 105
Narcotics drugs in the world 400
Military spending in the world 780
And compare that to what was estimated as additional costs to achieve universal access to basic social services in all developing countries:
Global Priority $U.S. Billions
Basic education for all 6
Water and sanitation for all 9
Reproductive health for all women 12
Basic health and nutrition 13
'The Little Red Hen Protocol'
The Little Red Hen, a Cautionary Tale
English Traditional, from http://www.childrenstory.info/childrenstories/thelittleredhen.html
'Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She and her chicks lived with a pig, a duck and a cat.
They all lived in a pretty little house which the little red hen liked to keep clean and tidy.
The little red hen worked hard at her jobs all day. The others never helped.
Although they said they meant to, they were all far too lazy.
The pig liked to grunt in the mud outside,
the duck used to swim in the pond all day,
and the cat enjoyed lying in the sun, purring.
One day the little red hen was working in the garden when she found a grain of corn.
"Who will plant this grain of corn?" she asked.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
So the little red hen went to look for a nice bit of earth, scratched it with her feet and planted the grain of corn.
During the summer the grain of corn grew.
First it grew into a tall green stalk, then it ripened in the sun
until it had turned a lovely golden color.
The little red hen saw that the corn was ready for cutting.
"Who will help me cut the corn?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
"Very well then, I will cut it myself," said the little red hen.
Carefully she cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.
"Who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be ground into flour?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
So the little red hen took the corn to the mill herself,
and asked the miller if he would be so kind as to grind it into flour.
In time the miller sent a little bag of flour down to the house
where the little red hen lived with the pig and the duck and the cat.
"Who will help me to make the flour into bread?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
"Very well," said the little red hen. "I shall make the bread myself."
She went into her neat little kitchen. She mixed the flour into dough.
She kneaded the dough and put it into the oven to bake.
Soon there was a lovely smell of hot fresh bread.
It filled all the corners of the house and wafted out into the garden.
The pig came into the kitchen from his muddy patch in the garden,
the duck came in from the pond and the cat left his place in the sun.
When the little red hen opened the oven door the dough had risen up
and had turned into the nicest, most delicious looking loaf of bread any of them had seen.
"Who will help me eat this bread?" asked the little red hen.
"I will," grunted the pig.
"I will," quacked the duck.
"I will," purred the cat.
"Oh no, you won't," said the little red hen.
"I planted the seed, I cut the corn,
I took it to the mill to be made into flour, and I made this bread.
My chicks and I shall eat it without any help from you."
The pig, the duck and the cat all stood and watched
as the little red hen and her chicks ate the bread.
It was delicious and they enjoyed it, right to the very last crumb.'
Just another way to say what was in the Bible- 'Those who don't work, don't eat'.
It is not fair, to bring up generations of humans to depend on welfare and food stamps, give them no training or incentives; and then suddenly announce that the system is out of money and they are out of luck. They deserve the opportunity of a framework within which they can work and make a meaningful contribution toward their own support.
But that said, we cannot support generations of increasingly obese and disaffected, idle (not necessarily by choice), unproductive members of society, whose lifestyle depends on maintenance of a condition and a label of 'disability'. It's easy to believe that you can't do something. It's vital to believe that you *can* do something, and then to act on it. If children see idle parents, they will gradually lose their natural spark, and become what they see. Energy, not given a positive focus and outlet, will turn negative and destructive, or will flicker out into apathy.
English Traditional, from http://www.childrenstory.info/childrenstories/thelittleredhen.html
'Once upon a time there was a little red hen. She and her chicks lived with a pig, a duck and a cat.
They all lived in a pretty little house which the little red hen liked to keep clean and tidy.
The little red hen worked hard at her jobs all day. The others never helped.
Although they said they meant to, they were all far too lazy.
The pig liked to grunt in the mud outside,
the duck used to swim in the pond all day,
and the cat enjoyed lying in the sun, purring.
One day the little red hen was working in the garden when she found a grain of corn.
"Who will plant this grain of corn?" she asked.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
So the little red hen went to look for a nice bit of earth, scratched it with her feet and planted the grain of corn.
During the summer the grain of corn grew.
First it grew into a tall green stalk, then it ripened in the sun
until it had turned a lovely golden color.
The little red hen saw that the corn was ready for cutting.
"Who will help me cut the corn?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
"Very well then, I will cut it myself," said the little red hen.
Carefully she cut the stalk and took out all the grains of corn from the husks.
"Who will take the corn to the mill, so that it can be ground into flour?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
So the little red hen took the corn to the mill herself,
and asked the miller if he would be so kind as to grind it into flour.
In time the miller sent a little bag of flour down to the house
where the little red hen lived with the pig and the duck and the cat.
"Who will help me to make the flour into bread?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," grunted the pig from his muddy patch in the garden.
"Not I," quacked the duck from her pond.
"Not I," purred the cat from his place in the sun.
"Very well," said the little red hen. "I shall make the bread myself."
She went into her neat little kitchen. She mixed the flour into dough.
She kneaded the dough and put it into the oven to bake.
Soon there was a lovely smell of hot fresh bread.
It filled all the corners of the house and wafted out into the garden.
The pig came into the kitchen from his muddy patch in the garden,
the duck came in from the pond and the cat left his place in the sun.
When the little red hen opened the oven door the dough had risen up
and had turned into the nicest, most delicious looking loaf of bread any of them had seen.
"Who will help me eat this bread?" asked the little red hen.
"I will," grunted the pig.
"I will," quacked the duck.
"I will," purred the cat.
"Oh no, you won't," said the little red hen.
"I planted the seed, I cut the corn,
I took it to the mill to be made into flour, and I made this bread.
My chicks and I shall eat it without any help from you."
The pig, the duck and the cat all stood and watched
as the little red hen and her chicks ate the bread.
It was delicious and they enjoyed it, right to the very last crumb.'
Just another way to say what was in the Bible- 'Those who don't work, don't eat'.
It is not fair, to bring up generations of humans to depend on welfare and food stamps, give them no training or incentives; and then suddenly announce that the system is out of money and they are out of luck. They deserve the opportunity of a framework within which they can work and make a meaningful contribution toward their own support.
But that said, we cannot support generations of increasingly obese and disaffected, idle (not necessarily by choice), unproductive members of society, whose lifestyle depends on maintenance of a condition and a label of 'disability'. It's easy to believe that you can't do something. It's vital to believe that you *can* do something, and then to act on it. If children see idle parents, they will gradually lose their natural spark, and become what they see. Energy, not given a positive focus and outlet, will turn negative and destructive, or will flicker out into apathy.