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Psyche's Muse
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12/19/2009 10:17:19 PM
Social Engineering... "Out of Egypt I have called my Son"
Egypt is guilty of one of the most productive versions of "social engineering" ever. It was so successful and worked so well that it lasted for thousands of years. The Egyptian community was built upon the "social program" known as pyramid building. It was the ultimate "spending package" and stimulated all sort of constructive endeavors. From it arose doctors and surgeons, carpenters and masons, engineers and home builders and merchants. Money was created and flowed throughout this enterprise. This ingenious plan worked so well because everyone could benefit from it. Pyramids weren't the work of slaves. Slaves helped to cut the stones, but entire communities grew out of these projects, each of which lasted for many years, some of them are still cities in existence today. The pyramid enshrined religious beliefs and produced wealth and prosperity for the people who were constructively busy working at undoubtedly THE most important task of their day. It was an honor to be so employed. The merchants and vendors loved it. The task of pyramid building certainly cost the nation enormously, but it was deemed to be a worthwhile cost nonetheless. We see them as nothing but worthless piles of stone unless we try to imagine some secret hidden meaning which would justify them. Why would so much time and effort be dedicated to such things? Were the Pharaohs all megalomaniacs? Are the pyramids "magic"? Well... maybe so. They were a means used to establish a higher civilization which can only come about through use of monetary currency. While others peoples were caught up in the lower forms of bartering the Egyptians became advanced in the "higher" things through literacy and education. All of this "extra time" is afforded particularly through the use of money in their system. I have no idea if this idea is true or not, but it certainly seems plausible. -M-
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/20/2009 12:49:14 PM
I liked the read here M. Ancient history has always intrigued me.
These pyramids are monolithic structures that are an architectural and engineering marvel and they will never be duplicated. We just dont have the same engineering skills and abilities financial resources to make these amazing structures and the genius behind them is incredible. some of them survived the great flood
But we still have our governments trying to build modern day financial pyramids that are breaking us and will eventually our economy will collapse, all we have seen in the last few years are blips, and the flood of money they are printing will drown us all
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Tom O'Brien
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12/20/2009 2:55:07 PM
This makes me wonder how long it would take modern-day constructors to build similar pyramids, and how much it would cost. Maybe we need pyramids (or roads and bridges) to put more people to work.
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The Man With No Band
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12/20/2009 11:39:19 PM
---- Updated 12/20/2009 11:45:57 PM
Enjoyed reading your post as always Mortamor ... Although it is good food for thought, I do see another perspective from the thought, "They were a means used to establish a higher civilization which can only come about through use of monetary currency. While others peoples were caught up in the lower forms of bartering the Egyptians became advanced in the "higher" things through literacy and education."
I'm not much on "monetary" and not so sure that "literacy and education" (at least in book form or carvings in slate) is either advanced or formed a higher civilization ... or that this social set-up has actually helped the world ... but rather put us on a very wrong path ...
Everything man ever needed or needs is and always has been available to him on this earth ... and what he can not find he/she can barter for ... Education involves nothing more than opening one's eyes, ears and other senses and using one's brain ... The early mountain men and pioneers in this country got a wonderful "real world" education and very few relied on monetary means for their support but rather on their skills and the bartering system, both among themselves and the natives that were here before. They were rewarded handsomely for it and everything they needed was at their disposal ...
Then came "an advanced civilization" that treated these folks like savages because they were not "refined" or "educated". They came with their "money" system and killed the way of life for perfectly content, happy people. ... with all their money and education and advanced thinking they actually thought they were doing the "right" thing ... They built cities and factories and filled the world with trinkets and things to make life easier ... they built roads and railways and ships and flying machines ... they raised armies ... but there was a price ... all of these things had to be paid for ... with blood, sweat, lives and MONEY ... Greed became a rampant thing ... unlike the pioneers, the mountain men or the natives, they believed they were entitled to OWN land ... and what they had at their table was rarely shared with a passer byer ... unless he too had Money to pay them ...
Yes they built their "higher" civilization ... all the while believing they were doing the "right" thing ... but the true right thing was truly eluding them ... and their education was based on a lie ... We only have borrowed time, and borrowed space ... one never truly owns ANYTHING monetary ...
Happiness got lost in the mire ... happiness is the only one true treasure ... and you can't build it ... and you can't buy it ... IMO civilization has made men savages ... and the only path to an advanced civilization is to return to a time when it truly was advanced ... and happiness is the most advanced thing one can ever achieve, either as an individual or as a society ...
All that said ... the Pyramids are surely grand works of wonder ... :)
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Kevin White
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12/22/2009 8:41:03 AM
I think they were bored.
So one guy is looking at a bunch of rocks and stacked a small model ... and said ... "Hey, that's pretty cool. Think we can stick dead people in it?"
Well, nobody LIKES being bored, so they got together and drank too much wine, and with nothing better to do built a bigger one ... about the size of a large igloo ... which is the Eskimo's version of the same dynamic ... and they built huge ones too, as big as the pyramids. Yet, being made of ice, and summer and shit, no one ever is going to discover their peculiar flawed genius ... but I digress.
So one-ups-man-ship became the status quo in Egypt, ultimately making its way up to the sport of kings ... well, back then they were called pharaohs, but nobody ever talks about the sport of pharaohs ... because everyone thinks first of scorpion wrestling ... but that's a whole other subject.
Eventually, the pyramids grew to the size we know today, and they've last about a gazillion years ... and nobody really knew this until recently because eventually they all got covered with sand and weren't discovered until an Egyptian housewife, I think her name was Mary Leakey, was sweeping her floor clean and came across this bump in it which kept growing and growing and she kept sweeping until she got to the bottom and went, "Whoa ... that's a big fucking triangle!" (Mary swore like a Brooklyn Cab driver)
Eventually the pyramids fad died out; not so much because they had gotten so expensive to build and were a crushing financial burden on early Egyptian society.
No, the answer is much more subtle than that, and lays at the root of the demise of all civilized societies throughout the ages:
Electronic video games.
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/22/2009 8:48:06 AM
---- Updated 12/22/2009 9:10:31 AM
hahahaha
Kevin, I hear a song coming from this one......so they are kinda like the modern day skyscrapers ?
mine is bigger then yours thing
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Kevin White
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12/22/2009 9:55:01 AM
Exactly ...
One day this guy got bored, was reading an architecture magazine and decided to masturbate ...
The result?
Skyscrapers.
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Bryon Tosoff
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12/22/2009 10:07:23 AM
And from there we went to the moon
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Kevin White
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12/22/2009 6:23:05 PM
Well ... he shot the moon, anyways ... so to speak ...
:)
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Psyche's Muse
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12/23/2009 2:10:09 AM
"scrape" the sky with the eye...
and peer amid the Heavenly Bodies...
raise them high and thus says I...
you'll feel their power and glory...
-M-
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