tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post381530066868617787..comments2023-10-21T03:54:12.029-04:00Comments on A Gift Universe: Liberty and safety netsSheilahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-57637671864089726992014-11-13T12:30:09.220-05:002014-11-13T12:30:09.220-05:00Oh, no question about that. I was pondering the o...Oh, no question about that. I was pondering the other day why I'm so reluctant to accept gifts or offers from help from others. I realized that as humans we have a desire to, if not give more than we receive, at least not to receive more than we give. It makes you feel inferior, worthless, a drain, a leech. Of course some people are stuck receiving more than they give, but given the choice and the ability to give back, most of us will choose to do so. Heck, it's why I didn't go to grad school -- I felt guilty that my parents had paid for so much of my college (more than they had planned to) and I felt I should get to earning money right away. Anyway studying is kind of a taking, from a society-wide perspective, while working is giving. I didn't feel comfortable taking any more till I had given something. If I ever do get a higher degree, it will be after having contributed more.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-91867122494387253442014-11-11T13:58:51.705-05:002014-11-11T13:58:51.705-05:00+JMJ+
I also don't think that the poor shoul...+JMJ+ <br /><br />I also don't think that the poor should have to justify their existence or their need for aid. But this is something that I've thought about for a while: we shouldn't help each other just because of rules or <i>quid pro quo</i> or other detached (and detaching) reasons, but because we're part of one body and we actually <i>can't</i> detach from each other. That is my understanding of the passage you quote from St. Basil: the bread that we own can belong to others who are hungry because we are one body with them, too. <br /><br />But a body isn't a formless blob. It's something organised so that the members can know their roles clearly. And so it seems logical that there should be a leader of some sort--or even a class (<i>Yes, I know how the word sounds</i>) of people with some authority to call the shots and to direct the charity efforts. This is why I go on to think that there are <i>some</i> obligations that <i>can</i> be laid on the poor. Even if it's only the basic obligation not to bite the hand that feeds them. This isn't to say that they should be "starved out" if they refuse, but that it should be clear to all what the marks of being part of one body are--even if some end up rejecting them anyway. Enbrethilielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414765854670926854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-88129104889964418312014-11-11T10:15:26.786-05:002014-11-11T10:15:26.786-05:00No kidding. If I had known in 2004 what the econo...No kidding. If I had known in 2004 what the economy in 2008 (the year I graduated) was going to do, I would have studied some kind of science. But in 2004 they were telling us that a degree, ANY degree, was guaranteed to increase your income exponentially. I certainly didn't expect so many of my classmates to be unemployed for a year or more after graduation. It was particularly bitter when John was a bank teller, and when he would tell his coworkers he'd been to college, they would say, "Then what are you doing here? You have a degree, you could be doing anything!" Ha ha haaaaaaaa. The only difference between us and them was that we had debt.<br /><br />However, I must admit that by now, after years and years of struggle, we're doing okay. We actually have a date in mind when we'll be debt-free. That's a beautiful, beautiful feeling .... only thing better is going to be when we actually ARE debt-free.<br /><br />Hope better days are in store for you, too.Sheilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10853868724554947854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2464977109229359349.post-70179281771773834672014-11-09T08:43:52.088-05:002014-11-09T08:43:52.088-05:00I am sort of libertarian-ish in theory but in prac...I am sort of libertarian-ish in theory but in practice I am kind of happy for government "handouts" because otherwise we'd be screwed.<br /><br />We used our tax credit this past year to pay off a massive 7% interest rate student loan that my husband took on many years ago because hey, if you go to a good college and get a good job those loans are like an INVESTMENT.<br /><br />Crappiest investment ever, let me tell you.The Sojournerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04559244806125834569noreply@blogger.com