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Swami
Eggshell Walker
Registered: 01/18/00
Posts: 15,413
Loc: In the hen house
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Accumulation and Greed
#2548281 - 04/11/04 07:24 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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One of my hobbies is sound design and synthetic music. Despite my logical mind telling me that I could not fully explore the capablities of the toys that I have in ten lifetimes; I still want more. More, more, more!
Some new reso-flexinator? Gotta have it! Tube simulator? On the list? Oh, wait, this synth is capable of 10^20 possible sounds instead of my limited old one that has only 10^15 possible sounds? Start saving. Ooh, a plasma LED touchscreen on that baby? Yum! It never ends.
Simple to say it is merely unspiritual greed or undisciplined craving. I wonder if this is the primary evolutionary force that will get us off this berg and out into space? No not curiosity, greed! Yes, that salivating, insatiable need for more, may be our greatest distinguishing characteristic and be necessary to be a space-faring race.
Contentment leads nowhere as the goal has already been achieved.
Beach Boys: Two girls for every boy (see avatar).
Gordon Gekko: Greed captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works.
-------------------- The proof is in the pudding.
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psyka
Praetorian
Registered: 06/09/03
Posts: 1,652
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2548648 - 04/11/04 11:09 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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I'm not sure that you're a greedy person or if you are very possessive, but the above example doesnt sound very negative to me I looove music; give me a guitar and a joint and I'm good to go. Its a passion of mine that will never leave me and I am willing to put effort and work into it.
It is selfishness and egotism that you have to be mindful about, not passion to make music. Music rules!
I definately dont think greed is the essense of the evolutionary spirit. Passion is a better word for the mindset you are describing.
-------------------- As the life of a candle, my wick will burn out. But, the fire of my mind shall beam into infinite.
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silversoul7
Chill the FuckOut!
Registered: 10/10/02
Posts: 27,301
Loc: mndfreeze's puppet army
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2548725 - 04/11/04 01:11 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Satellites and, pair of mirrors and, and a man without a home With a horse, and a rider, and a clever, cunning killer Silent in error and vocal in spotlights Lying always sucking on a bottle of, that sweet, indulgent fluid Oh greed oh yes oh greed oh yes! Oh greed oh yes Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Your friendship is a fog That disappears when the wind redirects You! Yes you!
Father's expectations, soul soaked in, spit and urine And you gotta make it where? To a sanctuary that's a fragile American hell An empty dream A selfish, horrific vision Passed on like the deadliest of viruses Crushing you and your naive profession Have no illusions boy Vomit all ideals and serve Sleep and wake and serve And don't just think just wake and serve Yeah! Yeah! (Left channel - 26 years in this stage Yeah! you're 26 years in this stage) Yeah! Your friendship is a fog That disappears when the wind redirects You! Interested in you, interested in you Interested in you, interested in you...
-------------------- "It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."--Voltaire
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SpecialEd
+ one
Registered: 01/30/03
Posts: 6,220
Loc: : Gringo
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2548853 - 04/11/04 03:33 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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I did an experiment a few months ago where I strived to rid myself of everything unnecessary. The end result was that material objects still dictated my actions because I was continually occupied by getting rid of them.
Something else I found was that quality of life isn't really affected by material possesions. I now think that as long as you don't "worship" your belongings, its no big deal.
I think that curiosity is a better word than greed when describing what motivates humans.
-------------------- "Plus one upvote +1..." --- // -- /l_l\/ --\-/----
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Alan Stone
Corpus
Registered: 11/23/02
Posts: 986
Loc: Ten feet up
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: SpecialEd]
#2549046 - 04/11/04 05:57 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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"I wonder what else I can buy" captures the two in one human quote.
-------------------- It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. - Aristotle
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daba
Stranger
Registered: 12/30/02
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2549054 - 04/11/04 06:00 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Curiosity comes first, then greed is an option. Yes, I have also been thinking lately how all of our emotions actions are just evolutionary forces to get us to spread [and plague] the universe. We are children of Nature, not the earth. The earth is our media. *editted for incorrect word usage
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Frog
Warrior
Registered: 10/22/03
Posts: 4,284
Loc: The Zero Point Field
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: daba]
#2549320 - 04/11/04 07:39 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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I want that car!! I would look so good it in it!!
-------------------- The day will come when, after harnessing the ether, the winds, the tides, gravitation, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And, on that day, for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire. -Teilard
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Grav
Registered: 02/06/02
Posts: 4,454
Last seen: 11 years, 3 months
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2549386 - 04/11/04 07:58 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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I don't want to possess what I create, I want to be possessed by it. And ill buy all the toys to get there if i need to. This is the material world that i wake up to every day. I'm not gonna be here for too long so I'm gonna try my hardest to do something that really gives me chills.
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Twirling
Barred Spiral
Registered: 02/03/03
Posts: 2,468
Last seen: 2 years, 1 month
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2549397 - 04/11/04 08:10 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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I'm very much into recording and music, so I feel the sameway sometimes....
But I find it's because that greed is put there. Look at websites discussing audio gear, the old timers will tell everyone you have to have "vintage"equipment and "warm tube gear" in order to sound right. Other people worship a program or piece of hardware as the must-have-gear. It's a constant "look at my new toy" competition. Just go to the boards at any musician website and you'll see what I'm talking about.
Hell, in putting together a small studio, I had people list all the different things I "need" in order to record. Whatever happened to talent? I have to constantly remind myself that gear is supposed to enable us to create emotional things, but the actually creativity comes internally.
I do think part of it is just that it's our nature to want more, to experiment and find out what happens, and to acquire more & more. Advertisements accentuate that drive to make us feel as if we're incomplete without that next guitar or such. But when we silence that nagging voice we can be happy with what we have.
Of course, there is no better thrill than getting a brand new guitar and recording that "perfect" song, so I can't completely put down materialism.
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Mystical_Craven
mentally illpsychonaught
Registered: 06/16/02
Posts: 439
Loc: Earth
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2550396 - 04/12/04 04:59 AM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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the way I've always seen it is that greed is a very powerful force - the romans for example built one of the largest most powerful nations ever to grace this planet...and I think it's pretty damn obvious what motivated them (regardless if it was the 'need' for more land, or money, or control, or power, or whatevr - they wanted more)
for a more modern day example take a look at Bill Gates - here's a guy that wouldn't settle for anything...he was (still is actually) out to claim everything he could get his greedy little hand on he stumbled upon a really good idea and turned it into an entire empire that not only spread to every corner of the globe within just a matter of years, but he also created an entirely new way of life for billions of people which basically molded the world as we know it (or knew it as the case may be) for future generations
and it's not like this sort of thing applies to just materialistic shit either...I mean take someone that's really into martial arts - they have this constant need to push themselves to their limits (physically, mentally, etc...) and it's because of this that they're able to achieve these levels of control that most people typically couldn't even dream of (so in a sense - becomming obsessive about their capabilities is exactly what motivates them to accomplish things they once thought were impossible)
needing something you don't *technically* need is what drives a lot of people forward...and I personally don't think the human race as a whole would be where we're at right now if it wasn't for this constant need for more
-------------------- "Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go..." T.S. Eliot
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Viveka
refutation bias
Registered: 10/21/02
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: SpecialEd]
#2551355 - 04/12/04 01:03 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
I did an experiment a few months ago where I strived to rid myself of everything unnecessary.
How did you go about deciding what was "necessary" or not?
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Swami
Eggshell Walker
Registered: 01/18/00
Posts: 15,413
Loc: In the hen house
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Twirling]
#2551459 - 04/12/04 01:36 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Uh oh. Just came back from the "Good Guys" electronics store. The new 5.0 megapixel cameras make my 3.2 megapixel seem obsolete even though it is entirely adequate for my purposes. And that Nikon 8.0 megapixel *wipes drool from mouth*...
-------------------- The proof is in the pudding.
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Sclorch
Clyster
Registered: 07/12/99
Posts: 4,805
Loc: On the Brink of Madness
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2551632 - 04/12/04 02:15 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Yeah... I've seen the light... and the light is Canon's 11.1 megapixel digital SLR that is compatible with their EOS lens line (which means I can use all my 35mm SLR lenses on that bitch). Okay... we were talking about accumulation and greed...
-------------------- Note: In desperate need of a cure...
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Swami
Eggshell Walker
Registered: 01/18/00
Posts: 15,413
Loc: In the hen house
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Sclorch]
#2551664 - 04/12/04 02:23 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Yeah, I can hardly wait to get a photo on my 'puter too big to view and too large to e-mail to a friend without decreasing resolution back from 11 megapixel to 2 megapixel.
-------------------- The proof is in the pudding.
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Evolving
Resident Cynic
Registered: 10/01/02
Posts: 5,385
Loc: Apt #6, The Village
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2551692 - 04/12/04 02:29 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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It is important for pornography to be viewed at a high resolution.
-------------------- To call humans 'rational beings' does injustice to the term, 'rational.' Humans are capable of rational thought, but it is not their essence. Humans are animals, beasts with complex brains. Humans, more often than not, utilize their cerebrum to rationalize what their primal instincts, their preconceived notions, and their emotional desires have presented as goals - humans are rationalizing beings.
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Swami
Eggshell Walker
Registered: 01/18/00
Posts: 15,413
Loc: In the hen house
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Evolving]
#2551743 - 04/12/04 03:04 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Getting too close is yukky!
-------------------- The proof is in the pudding.
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Twirling
Barred Spiral
Registered: 02/03/03
Posts: 2,468
Last seen: 2 years, 1 month
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Swami]
#2552085 - 04/12/04 05:38 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Quote:
Swami said: Yeah, I can hardly wait to get a photo on my 'puter too big to view and too large to e-mail to a friend without decreasing resolution back from 11 megapixel to 2 megapixel.
All for the sole purpose of thinking to yourself "Wow, I have a nice camera. My penis is bi.. I mean my camera is better than my neighbors until he buys the next generation camera."
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Sclorch
Clyster
Registered: 07/12/99
Posts: 4,805
Loc: On the Brink of Madness
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Re: Accumulation and Greed [Re: Twirling]
#2552607 - 04/12/04 10:24 PM (19 years, 11 months ago) |
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Actually.... it's for achieving larger, unpixelated prints. I don't see much of a point in having much more than 11 megapixels (unless you want to have billboard-size prints with no pixelation).
We're seriously straying into the land of OTD... *shudder*
-------------------- Note: In desperate need of a cure...
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