iippo: The worst thing about money is that it turns people in to numbers and statistics.
F4LL0UT: No, large concentrations of people do this as it is the case with anything that reaches high amounts. You can't treat every person as an individual when you have to indirectly interact with hundreds, thousands or even millions of them. It's pretty much the same for any system where something has to be categorized and handled in large numbers.
When money and ideals conflict, guess which one wins?
What i mean, is that i agree about that "you cant treat a million people as individual persons" - but in my eyes we are losing the meaning of society. The meaning of individuals in that society. We are losing the idealism, the perhaps naive belief of some greater meaning in our society than just "money".
Extreme example: Although I dont really approve extreme religious ideas, in a certain way I can respect the the extreme stubborness those people cling to their believes no matter what, no matter the cost. Guess you could call it the pinnacle of standing for what you believe in.
The more i think about our western society, the less i think it stands for pretty much anything at all these days. Except maybe debts. If you make the mistake of listening to politicians, all they talk about is saving money, cutting benefits, rising taxes, rising retirement age and so on.
To all this is starting to sound increasingly hollow and meaningless existence. I think my life has pretty much more meaning that simply paying maxium amount of taxes for as many years of my life as possible.
--- Id also like to say few words about how I think people are losing their ability to be (positivily) proud about anything bigger than themselves and showing any sort of respect to these things....but its pretty late atm, maybe later if i have time.
ps its just that as i have asian wife and over the years I have compared her and my own cultures together quite often - and am thinking that we are losing on everything that has to do with "community" and kind of social "We-spirit". I am feeling more and more sort of advanced caveman.