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May 10, 2006
Which is better — a bigger pie, or more of it?
Me, I'm of the bigger pie persuasion.
But I know lots of people who're just the opposite.
Allow me to digress a bit.
Once upon a time, in a century far, far away, I received a phone call from a woman purporting to offer me a chance to get in on the inside of an investment opportunity that would set me up for life.
This was back in the day before I'd placed my telephone number on the "Do Not Call" registry* which, amazingly, does work very, very well.
In the years I've been on it I've received almost no unsolicited telephone calls.
Would that its equivalent worked online.
But that's a story for another day.
Anyway, I listened to the woman run through the talking points of her dog and pony show sales pitch, which concluded with her observation that in her experience there were two kinds of people in this world: "The Donald Trumps and the Donald Ducks."
"Which Donald are you," she asked, "A Trump or a Duck?"
"A duck," I replied, and then I heard her phone slam down.
True then — true now.
But I digressed, didn't I?
Clearly a duck.
Anyway.
One day I asked a good friend the following: would he prefer to drive a top–of–the–line Lexus knowing everyone else in the world had one, or a Camry when everyone else had a Kia?
His response: "The Camry."
I was astounded.
Still am.
Because this ethos is very pervasive: to have more than others, even if it's not as good as it could be, is better than everyone having better and the same as you.
In Jamaica there's a saying that covers this nicely, to wit: "Scornful dog eat dirty pudding."
I couldn't have said it better.
*If you'd like to place your telephone number on the Do Not Call registry you may do so by calling 888-382-1222.
No telephone?
No problema: you can do it online.
May 10, 2006 at 04:01 PM | Permalink
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Comments
One time out of a million, the desire to have more stuff than is necessary to support a well-fed, well-sheltered, well-loved and productive life results in a Warren Buffett.
Most of the rest of the time, it results in a life of misery.
Sometimes, it produces competently ruthless robber barons like George H. W. Bush.
Regrettably, _they_ tend to produce people like George _W._ Bush, who fortunately do not usually manage to do more than squander their family's fortune.
The phrase "first against the wall when the revolution comes" keeps popping up in my mind. Can't think why.
I'm very wealthy by the standards of most of the world, but hardly rich by affluent Western standards. I've got enough. I would go so far as to say that I've got plenty. I don't understand why so many people want more, and more, and more.
A dog that was starved as a pup may grow up having to eat any food it sees, and I can see how a similar thing could happen to people. But most of the acquisitive humans aren't from poor families. They're just defective. And they're the ones that do the most to ruin the world.
Posted by: Daniel Rutter | May 14, 2006 4:13:28 PM
In a world of Kia's, I too would want a Camry, if it gets me the girl of my dreams (where I wrote Kia, replace that with conventional, and replace Camry with unconventional, and replace girl of my dreams with happiness). Nothing is good unless something is bad, and everyone with a Lexus would be nothing special (head explodes here).
Posted by: David | May 11, 2006 3:08:05 PM
I'd pick the duck, because I would rater KILL MYSELF than be the Donald. Or the Donald's hair. If I were the Donald's hair I would set myself on fire, which probably isn't too difficult considering how combustible I probably am with all that product.
And I'd pick the motorcycle as everyone else would be stuck in the Kia / Lexus jam.
Oh wait. ... that wasn't a choice?
Posted by: IB | May 11, 2006 1:13:30 AM
