07 April 2011

Whether through gifts or with violence

"... no genuine expression of emotion takes place as a means to some further end." (The Emotions, Peter Goldie, as quoted in The Gift of Thanks, Margaret Visser, 2008; page 265). 
The emotions serve to color our experiences and to give them meaning, not to be harnessed to the accomplishment of some rational objective. 
The environment relates to its population with either gifts or violence. Emotions are what result from the giftedness or violence of the environment. Emotions are in response to some environmental stimulus. The relationship between an environment and a member resembles the relationship between a creator and a creature. 
The direction of the interaction is one-way. Whether through gifts or with violence, the environment or the creator are the initiating, active sources of the interaction and the member or the creature are the receptive, passive sinks of the interaction. 
Market transactions are bi-lateral but there is no give and take between the environment and its members. 
When the members grow large enough to achieve give and take with their market environments things have moved into the danger zone. 

No comments:

Post a Comment