Western Economic Power

Email Me When A New Comment Is Made
Show Only Poster Name and Title Newest to Oldest

SGTObvious Correction to my earlier. 1/16/2003 7:38:58 AM

That should have been 1400's for the earliest presses, both in Europe and the single Hebrew press in Istanbul. The 1757 date for the first Turkish press is correct. Hence, 3 centuries lost.

Quote Reply

Michael RE:Western Economic Power 1/16/2003 4:44:32 PM

Interesting observation. Would you have a similar comparison though for the Asian countries though, such as China, Japan, and other Asian economies. Please keep in mind that all peoples/countries/societies have different value judgments in regards to life and development as a whole. Just as individual people place different values on different things, so too, do countries and whole societies (such as Africa, Asia, Arabs, Israelites,..etc). Many societies and people's don't place that much value and effort into the accumulation of wealth for their countries and people, rather they place value and dedicate their lives into serving cultural, spiritual pursuits. This is usually the case with most third world countries. It's not that they can't reach the levels of wealth that the western countries enjoy but rather they hold different values and prioroties in their hearts. Whereas the western people strive and die for material wealth and economic development, other types of people see other things in life that are worth living and dying for such as cultural preservation, spiritual activites, and subsistence living. I guess it boils down to the different philosophies of people and what they wish to do with their lives. Take for instance, the realm of sports, the realm of the martial arts, the realm of boxing, the realm of soccer, realm of military wars...etc. Different countries and different races of people are the best at these things in the world, not necessarily the western countries. We were not born into this world to compete who will be the richest in terms of material wealth. Life is more than the physical things that we see and feel.... OK, maybe the western world can have the gold medal in terms of how much collective wealth they have but in real life, the pursuit of wealth is not the most important thing in everyones life. If money and the accumulation of material wealth is all that is important to you, then obviously you are an unbalanced person who is blind and arrogant to the true riches that are in this earth. Not all treasures have monetary value. Just as Jesus preached: What worth is it, when you gain the whole world and lose your soul (in the process). Think about it.............:)

Quote Reply

Final Historian RE:Western Economic Power 1/16/2003 5:50:51 PM

I don't think that SGTObvious was taking the position that material gain was the highest thing that man could pursue, he was just explaining why the West tends to have a lot more wealth than the rest of the world. Michael, I would agree that wealth is not something that we should live our lives for, in fact Jesus had a goon parable about this: The rich landowner who built a new silo to house all the grain that he would get from an abundant harvest, to store it for the future. But meanwhile God laughed and said it was all for nought, as this very night death would come for him. Wealth in and of itself has no meaning, at least to a Christian. The only value wealth should have is as a way to accomplish good, so wealth is only a means to an end, the end being the betterment of all mankind. Also, in other nations, in Africa and Asia for example, the notion that wealth is not something that should be sought after was often merely a tool invented by the rulers of the nation to keep power. In fact, this was the case in Europe for a while too. Also, don't forget in other countries it was sometimes forbidden to try and become wealthy, and certain things necessary to acquire wealth were forbidden. So people didn't try and become rich not because they didn't want to, but because they couldn't. An interesting fact is that nations like Japan, South Korea and the ROC are all fairly industrialized now, and have a decent GDP and standard of living, and were at some point, and still are, influenced greatly by the US. Japan especially, is interesting. They turned their rapid militarism into rapid businessmanship after WW2, and it has done their country much good. So there are many ways to examine this issue.

Quote Reply

Michael RE:Western Economic Power 1/20/2003 8:34:35 PM

The ancient ones had always prophecied that kingdoms will rise and kingdoms will fall. From the ancient Egyptians, to the Roman Empire, to the British Empire, and now we have the mighty United States of America. All nations and kingdoms have their time and their place in the evolution of history and the human race. As things turn out now, the Europeans and the Asians are gradually building economic strength now, even as we breath. Advancement in technology and education is the driving force behind this progress in the different regions of the world. Hence, Solomon (in the bible) was right in one aspect. That is, there is nothing new under the sun. The balance of power (political/military/social/economic power) will never stay the same. All nations and kingdoms will have their time and period to rule and lead the human race. Now, is the time of the USA. History rolls on and the Universe will unfold until the time of the end...............as pre-planned by the Most High.

Quote Reply

Michael RE:Western Economic Power 1/23/2003 3:11:35 PM

The most important war that the Western World needs to engage in now, is the development of the third world countries. There are vast human and natural resources in these nations, but the only problem is, is that, it's not being utilized propoerly by the governments of these people to its fullest potential. There are serious governance issues that need to be resolved in the third world countries. Of coruse, much of these governance issues are imbedded in the cultural and historical background of these people. It has always been my conviction, as someone who desires to make this world a better place to live, we must find a way to influence the cultures and social structure of these people so that their cultures can evolve in a more productive and sustainable way. Many third world countries are still in the dark in terms of cultural revolution/technology/education/economic development...etc Tha way forward now for the western world is to attempt to help their weaker counterparts. With the third world countries as your friends and allies, you will have much more resources at your disposal to build a truly wonderful world. One that is peaceful, governed by a good and fair and cooperative system, democratic processes....etc Then again, we go back to the fundamental issue......A vision.....of the future.....We need western leaders with a sound/fair/powerful vision of what the world should be in the future. We don't want a repeat of the foolish dictatorship and corruption of the past...We want a divine vision.....one that has God in the centre, with righteousness, justice, fairness,....for all people....with no discrimination of people from different countries and races...We are all living in one planet....We are one people.

Quote Reply