David, as a Green I too see a slight dilemma that the party faces with policy concerning the short term issue of immigration, and the longer term environmental issue of sustainability. There should not be a choice between the two, but an accommodation of both. When speaking of living standards, we should not just equate that to the material living standard of the average person in our western society. Foxy is correct about planets and resources. Maybe we confuse materialism too much with living standard. I understand an improvement in living standard to be some what more basic, improvements in health, education, housing, nutrition, employment etc, giving people a better, happier and more fulfilled life, not necessarily a life just filled with material objects.

Dear Paul1405,

I see a desirable life the same way you do. However, the 'health' of our economy is measured by the growth of GDP, and the economic indicators are generally not concerned with what the GDP is concerned with. The Christmas season is looked on as economically worthwhile if people spend a lot of money on a lot of material objects. Substituting an appreciation of nature, science, mathematics, the public library, learning to play a musical instrument,walking and other things that don't necessarily cost a lot of money would 'hurt' the economy. How do we recognise that conflict and resolve it?

We both apparently live well. How do we tell people who aren't living so well that material objects aren't important?

Before my grandmother would iron clothes she would heat the irons on a wood burning stove. As an iron cooled off she would remove the handle, insert it on a hot iron and put the cooled iron back on the stove. Somebody in the family would have cut the the wood into sizes suitable for the stove. She didn't have a washing machine but would heat water, pour it into a tub and scrub the clothes on a wash board. Some people in the world today scrub their clothes in a stream. I'm sure my grandmother would have loved a washing machine, electric iron and a gas or electric stove. We now think of these things as necessary, but my grandmother lived without them. Would you give up your computer?

Tolstoy wrote a story - "How much Land Does a Man need?" when he's dead a small plot will do. When he's alive how much?

Dear David F.,

Thank You for your kind words and your good
advice. I do appreciate it very much.
And I shall take it on board.

I can't control the behaviour of "On the Beach,"
But I certainly can control my own behaviour.

The fact of the matter is -
"On the Beach," will never accept that
I am not who he says I am.

His style of
posting I find deeply offensive and it's
been directed at me and
going on for a pretty long time.

Belly left because of "On the Beach."
Belly asked "On the Beach," to leave him alone.
It didn't work.

Others have tried to tell "On the Beach,"
to lay off me.

I asked for a truce ages ago.
It did not last long.

I have even asked him not to address his posts
to me. That I do not wish to interact with him
That did not work.

I've tried many things -
Nothing worked.

I suspect that he genuinely enjoys
pushing my emotional buttons, especially
the negative emotional buttons. He thrives
on stirring and baiting.

I've been advised by many to simply ignore him.
Not to respond. To simply not read what he
posts and scroll past his posts.

I've succeeded in doing that sometimes.

I've also not succeded in doing that.
I should take your advice in the future - and
remember to use your "hat argument."

It won't change his behaviour, but at least it will
alter mine. I'll give it a go.

Dear David,

Thank you for all your kind and interesting comments!

While I agree with many of your ideas, I am saddened that the Greens party, to which you belong, have not renounced coercion as the means to achieve wholesome outcomes. I take note that yourself has just denounced coercion in the realm of sexuality, then why not in the realm of politics as well? It is my conviction that the means are at least as important as the ends.

<<Encourage people to enjoy pasttimes that expand the mind, be one with nature and involve simple pleasures such as friendship and conversation. Encourage all forms of sex which involve neither violence nor reproduction nor coercion.>>

Nothing expands the mind more than religion, transcending the mind's limited function of serving the individual ego and its desires. Through religion one unites with God, hence one becomes one with everything including nature. Unity with God produces the simple, unconditional and ecstatic rejoicing in just being who one is, without the need to do anything in order to prove it; friendship with everyone; and kind and sweet speech. One who lives in God experiences constant orgasmic bliss which involves neither violence nor reproduction nor coercion.

Dear Yuyutsu,

We disagree. In general religion closes the mind. In accepting religion we treat such man-made creations as God, afterlife, Nirvana etc. as real. It is rubbish that we must tolerate as people have the right to believe rubbish. However, religion remains rubbish.

Faith breeds ignorance.

Doubt and questioning open the mind.

Hi Foxy.

When it comes to Beach try and apply the 'Armadillo Principal', very simply have a thick skin. Earlier this year I spent a week in the forums equivalent of Alcatraz for calling Beach a wombat or some such thing, By the time I had engaged Tom Hughes QC to fight the charge, I was out on parole. I still like to comment on the nonsense Beach posts, all part of the 'forum experience'.

Hi David,

I understand the "need" for materialism in our western society, as you point out it drives our economic system. On the other hand I have seen a general lack of materialism in places like Fiji and other parts of the Pacific, where people have little want for those material object, granted when they obtain such material things they like them, no denying that. However I believe their lifestyle is better severed by catering to basic needs first, education, health, improved housing etc, and eventually applying the other good things of life such as labour saving washing machines etc. They should, and many do see dangers of becoming part of our western materialism. Can people embrace the good things of our society, and still remain free of the bad things? Or is it all or nothing!