Quote:
Originally Posted by woofa.express
I just longed for a bicycle.
Every kid at school had a bicycle, or so it seemed. The school bike racks were always full and I looked over them with some envy. I had a horse, but no saddle- I always took the animal to a fence or gate to climb then mount. The horse, named Pat was necessary for the stock work I helped with on our farm. Now more than 60 years have passed and I have, of course bought one. My very own bike.
This change from my childhood: Affluence. Squander and extravagance.
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"Affluence. Squander and extravagance." Isn't that a fact! But I sometimes wonder if that isn't a necessary by-product of technology, needed to keep people employed, thus feeding their families. Before cars like the Model A made long distance travel easy and affordable, many people were needed to keep the horses and buggies moving: saddle makers, leather tanners, farmers, wheelwrights, whip makers, livery stables, and many more. These workers all provided something necessary to just keep society moving and functioning. Now we have cars, trucks, trains and planes and far fewer workers needed to provide what is needed to keep society moving. Squandering and affluence are what now drive the economy and provide jobs.
Take, for example, your career in "crop dusting". Before the airplane, weeds were controlled by men with hoes or horses pulling a small cultivator. Now you do in a few minutes what formerly took weeks. So you and your small crew have replaced dozens of men who would be jobless if it weren't for boats, golf carts, golf clubs, TV's, video games, etc., etc.