Human Productivity

Certainly it seems to me that every single "official" story has at least one valid alternative. There is a myth that humans are fundamentally lazy - similar to the view that they are fundamentally prone to crime.

It is always satisfying to see TV footage of "primative" tribes, and also of "civilised" society for comparison. Actually I see very little difference which makes me wonder what these words mean. But if there is a difference it often seems to be in favour of the "primative" society and quite often the "civilised" seems quite ill.

Series running at the moment in the UK called "Tribal Wives" - the female version of Bruce Parry's "Tribe" - where English go and live with other communities around the world - especially what we would call "primative".

For primative I would use the word simple. They are simple communities and we are complex communities - that is the difference.

In simple communities humans are seen much freer and in their element. The usual patterns exist of eating, shelter, marriage, childbirth and death. But living closer to nature and in tune with the natural order does seem to furnish these humans with a straight forwardness and simple contentment that is lost in the West's over complexities.

I always compare humans to worms. Which is greater? Well the worm and the human both complete the same biological existence but one makes it so incredibly complicated while for the other it could not be simpler. I'd say the worm was greater for finding the simpler way.

What is also interesting is how productive these humans are. Maybe they are not productive in variety - it seems that often their songs are very simple and their dress codes remains unchanged for hundreds of generations - but then if you have formal wear and a ceremonial song why change it? They are steeped in tradition, everything has its place and people know what works because it has worked before. But within this fixed tradition manufacture of crafts, of homes, of food, of clothing is intricate and never lacking. Why then is it that when people become incorporated into huge society they are accompanied by a belief that humans are bad and lazy and need education and force to flourish?

Certainly anyone knows that humans are naturally productive. It takes years to train kids to sit down quietly. Humans have huge energy and resources that is what has got us so far in history. It is not the systems that have made us so, but us who have made the systems. Odd then that we entertain thoughts about ourselves that seem to contradict this.

One reason might be that while it is Humanity that has achieved all this we have statues in our cities of particular people - invariable from the ruling classes - who we take to be the doers of all this. Of course they never lifted a finger it is the countless people who worked in their name who did the work. It is humanity who wins everytime, but humanity who seems at odds with itself as particular humans wish to take the credit and wish to spread bad myths about the rest.