May 2012
Trade balance
The Community Life 3
The island
Dream-Island
the isle was a paradiseand a dream the weather
three luckily surviving men
were flushed on shore together the first of them a fisherman
the second leader on a farm
the third made all the needed things
the tools the nets the boat the strings the isle was a paradise
and a dream the weather
the place to live it was a dream
the three they were a perfect team <>-<> the tool-man he could make a gain
cause of his key-position
became the first of all the three
he had his selfish vision not to end with broken wings
the other started dirty things
first one thing, then an other thing
there was a lot of quarreling the isle was a paradise
and a dream the weather
but all the three got ill and died
they could not work together Rony Lüthi
The creation of poverty
If any insular will possess as much as possible, nothing will be left to the community. Now, if someone is missing something, then he can not get it, because someone else has it in his possession. Everyone will then try to protect himself, by working and collecting as much as possible. But because he has not the strength to considerate everything, the quality of life, his health and the beauty of the island will suffer.The creation of wealth
If all the islanders do not claim more that what they really need and want, then the excess remains. If someone needs something extra, he can get it and he may reduce his abundance when he gives it back to the community. By acting this way everyone remains lean and rich in freedom and possibilities.Rules for the life in community
It is about understanding the small community, to see where economic interests are and how we can overcome difficulties. We must learn to do little things correctly. If we can solve the small problems, then we have a chance to succeed also on a larger scale. It would not be fair to exploit and to ravage nature. A sustainable culture protects trees, watercourses and the works of culture. The basics of success are the special care and the joy of just getting the culture to bloom. Would the islanders claim a maximum from others, but give others only a minimum, then a flourishing culture would not be possible. If someone alters his life, then his requirements and needs and therefore what he needs from the island change at the same time. A home is personal property of the Islander, as long as he maintains it in a responsible way. A real estate property should not go too far. A own home can get a trap if someone is bound on it and it is no longer correct for him. The shore, the land, the tools and the ship can not be private, because they are the backbone of wealth on the island. If someone is sick, when trees are to fell for the coal or when the boat must be brought ashore for repair, when the storm hit the island, nobody can do the needed work alone. All island residents need sometimes help. If it is a state of emergency anyone must help, if it is abondance, anyone should enjoy it.If the island is larger
Perhaps came new residents or it is a larger island. The question arises again: do we choose to be wealthy and to have a rich culture or will we live in trouble and strife? We no longer want the economic narrowness of the Middle Ages, in which the occupations of farming and artisanry were inherited from father to son. The opportunities should be open for the next generation so that personal preferences are not blocked. The first island residents have brought their knowledge and culture. Others have improved and complemented. The culture is shaped and formed by the land, the air, the water, the environment and its fruits and by the merits of all prior generations. These are things that may not be privately owned. But the management of goods and related obligations and rights may be in private hands.Various outsiders
People badly fitting into a culture, people rejecting approved things, people shocking others with their ideas, all of them are a provocation for an existing culture. They are also a kind of oxygen, which a culture needs to stay alive. A culture that is accepted without objections loses its adaptability and the drive for improvement. Indifference and convenience leads to degeneration and decay. The troublemakers need our attention, because they point to the weaknesses of a culture. If there are many criminals in a country, then we have to ask: why? In an aggressive culture, kind and obliging people are outsiders, in a sleeping culture, outsiders are those who discuss the problems in public.Social costs
Whoever who wants to save inappropriately on costs for children or for the integration of poets, artists and outsiders plays a dangerous game, because he saws on the branch on which we are sitting. The social costs for disabled and retired people can be reduced, if it is possible to get them to do things that are useful for the commonalty. This makes them happier because they have a duty and the public has fewer problems and more wealth. There are also people who can hardly be motivated to work and those who are prone to commit criminal acts. They need a special motivation and they need to be respected as human beings. That costs money. But may be less than the loss of public safety, more security guards and police forces and more expensive prisons.Vagrant goods and vagrant money
If there are more and more rights without duties, if there are excessive amounts of money and a lot of money is won without any work done, then this is a burden to the public. It is almost impossible to prevent such problems. However, it is possible to limit possible degeneracies.Action 1
If abuse is taking place on a larger scale, then there are certainly things that are wrong with the inducements. Maybe the public or the administration must change their habits or a modification of a law is necessary to prevent abuse. Action 2
It is very inapt if the warlords of the economic power are honored and revered. It is better if the selfish gamblers which are working ultimately against the public, are seen as a pest. Action 3
For the public it is dangerous, but for the players on the stock market it is convenient, if the values may change hands repeatedly within seconds. A slowdown in trade and a taxation of the traded values can help. This earned money will be valuable when the public has to pay for financial problems caused by individuals. Action 4
If a property is detrimental to the public a correction has to be made. In a limited and finally small world, it must not be allowed that ownership can blackmail the rest of the world. Action 5
Products and activities that are clearly harmful or dangerous may be prohibited or heavily taxed. Some of this what is mentioned in this chapter, may seem to be utopian and unrealistic. It is utopian, but not unrealistic. Major changes are possible. If the basic feeling of people change, the whole culture will change. A coxistence much more joyful and harmonious can be established when we stop cultivating small advantages, but when one begins to cultivate the habit of doing what is right and to practise the bright and cheerful love. A successful culture does not forbid a lot of "bad" things that upset some people, but she learns to appreciate and enjoy the fun and joy to do the right thing. The art of living is an important school subject.