it's food, dude

i've heard the sentiment time and again throughout my life that if a person isn't willing or capable of holding a job, they deserve to starve, be homeless, or just plain suffer and die. i can't say i've ever understood it.

in fact, the first few times i heard it, i was repulsed. how can you overlook the cruelty and inhumanity of needlessly allowing, even condoning, suffering. i don't see a job as being so essential. i suppose images of hordes of lazy, drugged-up low-lifes living off welfare checks is what people have in mind. i don't think being lazy, drugged-up, or unappreciative of wealth and material possessions is good. but worth death and suffering?

we could go on a tangent and ask what kind of situation is deserving of inflicting or permitting human suffering or death. i suppose that would help clarify things. but, i am aiming this ramble more toward aspects of the economy and the basic needs we see for civilized people.

is it really so hard to harvest food and distribute it.. providing housing is a much greater undertaking, requiring much initial investment. but we haven't even gotten the food thing down yet. perhaps here in the US, with food stamps, we have. but even of that i'm not sure. i don't know anything about food stamps. are they provided at the state or federal level? what are the qualifications? how does a person even find out if they are qualified? with my current level of knowledge on the subject, i could starve to death if i went broke.

with today's technology - machinery to automate and minimize labor for harvest, preparation, packaging.. and computing to track the needs of individuals, we could easily provide basic nutritional needs to every human. but it seems there are many people who don't think we should.. which i suppose brings us back to the initial philosophical debate.

if people shouldn't suffer and die, then what about other creatures, or plants for that matter. it really does drive to the heart of things, doesn't it. are people honestly afraid of the planet being overrun by lazy drugged-up stupid people? i think we'd have to try and visualize how the world would be affected by such a change.. and perhaps look for ways to preserve civilization - its institutions, its character, or whatever is deemed critical for survival and happiness.