Penny for your thoughts? $$

Reposted from http://www.urbansurvival.com

Once upon a time, people were very much in direct contact with how they were doing. Back in cave man (and cave woman) days, if you were very hungry, you weren't working very hard. On the other hand, if you were able to work little and eat well, that was a good thing. Your five senses told you how you were doing.

Then came tribal formation, and with it, the first taste of government. Other members of the tribe began to impose their assessment of how you were doing; laying it on you. If you didn't agree, and more particularly if you didn't conform, the tribe would take action against you.

This tradition continues today, except the 'tribal' decision-making is now embodied in government - which still claims (often) spurious rights to impose its will on how you should live.

Since in the modern world, we can't just wander off from the 'tribe' (world's too crowded for that) about all individuals can do is go join groups that will give them the kind of feedback and mirroring that they're really after. Which explains FaceBook and other social network successes.

People don't spend much time pondering such things, figuring they are probably obvious. But next time you click a web site, ask yourself this: "Is the web site providing me with useful/actionable information, or am I going there because I am basically a weak-willed sheep who needs to get reinforcement from others of a particular stripe in order to validate my lousy life?"

The crazy part is that living in a world where everything is being monetized (including as the Fed buying Treasuries proves, we're even now monetizing the monetizing), even your feelings are being bundled up and sold back to you.

Is this a great country and is technology cool, or what?