"There has never been any genuine financial justification for denying
workers some number of paid sick days; productivity studies have
long shown that paid leave policies are good for businesses. The
opposition is only based on knee-jerk free-market social Darwinism -
the kind of thinking that's driven social policy in our country for
the better part of 30 years, and helped pitch us right into our
current economic abyss."
It' interesting how we justify our barbarism with references to the "natural" course of evolution. This is so common that it has become a cliche. So much so that when I read the following in the paper yesterday at
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/05/03/CM7F16R604.DTL
I was pleasantly surprised to be reminded that survival is the result of sensitivity and cooperation.
"The paradox is that the most powerful ingredient of toughness is not muscle power, but sensitivity. "Wilderness training always builds character," says Jon Young, Shikari's founder. "You have to face your fears. Learning to pay attention to the birds and animals around you brings you right to your edge. If you're used to a temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit, then a constant temperature of 62 degrees is going to feel intense, uncomfortable.
"And there's the edge. Your sense of touch, the humidity, the cold wind will take you outside your comfort zone. You slow down, pay attention with your eyes and your ears. You have to be a participant with much more consciousness. Being in touch with nature directly on a consistent basis is going to build the character needed for survival."
[snip]
"In our courses, students are learning difficult skills. When we put them out for wilderness tests, time and time again they discover that the way they survive and flourish is through their ability to function well in a community."
Who'd have thunk it? So, yeah, we can act like thugs, but let's not call it evolution.
Joanna