Re: The highest duty of man

["Utkarsh Kansal" <bdp.india@mailexcite.com>]

Sanjeev:
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It is necessary for our youth in India to realize that they should NOT be 
sacrificing themselves for any vague causes. The best way for them to help out 
India is to become enormously rich themselves. By legal means, of
course. By dint of their creativity and hard work. By the act of bringing into 
this universe something they were not born with: a new product, a new invention.
Creation from the human brain is the highest form of morality. One Edison is 
worth a million Mother Teresas, in terms of net present value to the society, 
discounted over a hundred years, say. American
workers and janitors (sweepers) are so rich, that all of them own cars, and 
live a better life than our top civil servants in India. That did not come from 
a million Mother Teresas and self-sacrificial goats like me, slogging for the 
poor of this nation. That wealth came from the likes of Henry Ford and Bill 
Gates.

Apart from the fact that pleas to serve the poor, coming from people who will 
not spend any time or money on the poor, anyway, are not worth the paper they 
are written on, it is foolish to try to serve the poor by
becoming poor. Henry Ford served more poor than did most people before him: he 
gave people jobs, and created wealth. 

The highest duty of man is therefore to create something of worth to the 
society. I and you can only do that through hard work and competition in the 
marketplace. Not by being altrustic. The worth of one's effort must be 
evaluated by one clear yardstick: how much did you sell? 

This was intended particularly for those who still consider it viable that our 
MPs should be paid small amounts as wage and that people like Prem should make 
a sacrifice of their lives for our "people." That is you! 
Utkarsh! Now that the problem on the campaign finance has been partially sorted out, can we finalize the proof of today's MP's salary being higher
than what 70% of the professionals receive? 

Utkarsh:
--------

I hope every one on this list is not as much bought in pure capitalism as 
Sanjeev 1s. When I read Sanjeev's beliefs, it does sound that capitalism is 
the only solution to man's all problems (Utopia). I don't think, USA would have 
been created if a very big number of people didn't make the sacrifice of their 
lives to protect the meaning of democracy and freedom. Some how it sounds that 
their is no value for honesty, patriotism and concern for humanity. As the 
history shows Thomas Jefferson, died a very poor man. I am not sure that Thomas 
Jefferson put the question of being rich before his services to the people, 
when he wrote the declaration of Independence. I am equally sure that even 
today, money is not the biggest motivator for people to serve in Congress or 
in their communities.  

Somehow Sanjeev seem to be suggesting that we start greed to value more than 
people's sacrifice/contributions towards communities and our countries itself. 

Bill Gates or Henry Ford and millions of other today could provide a benefit 
to the society, because someone had put the effort to create an equitable 
system. There are equal number of people who make sure that the system holds 
its value today like it was intended years ago. Hundreds of other people in 
different fields have made equal contributions to this society as Mr. Ford or 
Bill Gates. People who die serving United States do contribute to this society. 
I am not sure if I want to put a money value to it. Let me ask: where does one 
put one's parents and teachers contribution to guide us to be honest and be 
the best citizen we can. Where should I put the contribution of the police 
officers who died few weeks back trying to save the legislators in the Capitol? 
Surely, they were not paid enought to do that. I am for competetion and 
freedom of thought. I am for wealthy societies but I am also for art, science 
and philosophy, which makes us better than the other life forms. We need Mother 
Teresa to remind us of love and compassion.

Let me reiterate, no society has ever become great till few of its citizens 
looked beyond, what is in it for me? Finally in terms of MP's salries, I have 
never been against increasing their salaries. But my concern is that if we do 
not bring people who are there to serve first, then we will never get an 
equitable system. Secondly, what salary is enough? 

I am still for people to join public service, who surely not become an MLA or 
MP on the basis of salaries they are paid. I can go on but I hope I have 
conveyed my thoughts with you all.

Regards,

Utkarsh

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