From: Jeremy Bradley (jeremyb@nor.com.au)
Date: Sat 09 Nov 2002 - 04:01:36 GMT
Snip.........
>>When I say the means we use shape the ends we
>> get, that's what I mean. The means we used to fight Russia in
>> Afghanistan led to the Taliban taking control. It led to the creation
>> of Al Quaeda (the list of reliable agents who were trained and proved
>> their worth in Afghanistan) We are taking the expedient route to
>> solve a problem that is much deeper and will last much longer than the
>> means we are using will solve.
Hi peace lovers
There is a great kid's song that carries a memetic warning of this action -
over-reaction tendency in some human cultures; it is called 'There Was an
Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly'. Do you know it? On the surface it is a silly
song, but the meme is solid and stable. Each time she takes a more drastic
remedy until she dies - not of the complaint but the cures.
(last chorus of long song)
She swallowed a horse to catch the cow
She swallowed the cow to chase the dog
(what a hog, she swallowed a dog)
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat
(imagine that, she swallowed a cat)
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird - and so on through the spider and
the fly
This is a straight out pedagogical ditty - with observable and quantifiable
memes.
Who was it who said that if we refuse the lessons of history, we are
destined to repeat them, (or something like that)?
Peace be with you
Jeremy
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