Tag: Lord of the Flies

June 2, 2023 – Lord of the Flies, Chapter 3

June 2, 2023 /

I am starting to get my legs under me now. I am reading a couple books concurrently and trying to keep up with everything. It’s hard to do when the sun doesn’t set until 9:30 as I can find all kinds of things to stay occupied every day. Luckily, this is a pretty short book with lots of short chapters.

Most of this chapter is about Ralph and Jack at odds between hunting and shelter building. Ralph laments that people commit to something and put in 30 minutes of labor before running off to do something that they prefer i.e hunting. And, this is the gold in the book that Golding never intended.

So many of the synopsis of the book talk about this being a mirror to mankind. The mention the savagery that is within ourselves and then something comes up about civilization. The reason that I say Golding never intended to write this is because I think it is a true observation of humanity but with a different intent to contrast civility and savageness.

The reason all the kids only work 30 minutes is because they don’t want to. And, they don’t really need to. We invent all kinds of things that we think that we need to do and all the reasons everyone else should do them too. Who built the Egyptian Pyramids or the Roman roads that are still in service? Why slaves of course. No one would do it for the good of mankind. And these are perfect examples of ‘I think that you need to build a road/pyramid’.

Let’s get real here, this is the reason we have 12 grades of compulsory education. There is no doubt that an educated population yields a happier and more successful society. By the same token, there is very little reason why we need to force kids to stay in school until they are 18. To be honest, I think that it is more of a babysitting service since you are not a legal adult until 18. I think that your kids need to be in school so that they are not out messing up my yard.

There are all kinds of stories on YouTube where people quit there jobs and go live in a van. So, do we really need to work until we die or do we live to work? What I am saying is how much of our income goes to things we want, like a house payment versus the things we need like shelter?

People are starting to figure this out. How many help wanted signs are you seeing? I was calling a locksmith the other day and I got the machine. In the message it said that they don’t have enough help to do their work and that if you were a locksmith looking for a job to leave your information. We didn’t just start losing population with the pandemic, we gave people the opportunity to figure out how survive without a job.

When I listen to the Fine Homebuilding podcast, it is mentioned nearly every episode that the trades are finding it impossible to hire help. The impassioned plea is that a good living can be made at $75,000/year. I am not scoffing at that, but I would also say that my industry is hiring as well. That is a starting salary. I have the ability to do both, which one am I going to choose? The one that is physically easier, working in conditioned space and can perform a lifetime. The salary upside is much greater too.

We are becoming a society of those that work and those that do not. As you know, I am all about freedom and so I am not judging people that can figure out how they want to live without punching a time clock. It should be all of our goals to accumulate enough wealth to unplug from the system as early as possible. That being said, there are an awful lot of people that are getting an income without providing any kind of value or service.

This help wanted situation is the new status quo. These jobs are not going to get filled nominally. There is just not enough people to work all the jobs that are looking to be filled. People are no longer going to accept a marginal wage when the alternative is do nothing and live just as well. The system ranks continue to grow and as it does, it continues to support and grow its existence.

The incentive is too high for people not to continue to seek their fortune. That being said, there is not enough incentive for low wage workers to keep working. It will continue this way until the absolute balance is met. In the meantime, we will see all these low wage positions eventually consolidate or become supplanted by automation of some sort.

I don’t ever see a day where there is no locksmith because the wage situation will self resolve with supply/demand economics. That being said, we are at the day where he has his business as a sole proprietor and storefronts are done. You will be connected by relationship or some sort or an internet aggregator like Home Depot or Angi’s List. The days of a career lackey working in the store while the experienced tradesman is out in the field are done.

End Your Programming Routine: This type of problem is endemic in all sorts of blue collar fields, not just retail. I am hearing this from my current employer as well that they cannot find enough staff to fill a 24/7 schedule. And hence they are running a prioritized schedule of products based on the staff that is available. Inflation and shortages are the result of this trend. This is the new future and it is human nature that has created it because why work if you have something you would rather do?

May 26, 2023 – Lord of the Flies, Chapter 2

May 26, 2023 /

My theme is summer now. While we are still about a month from the technical beginning of summer, we have had two weeks of consistent summerlike weather. That being said, a short book is in order because I find myself with more things to do than time to do them. While I have waffled a bit on whether I should do one chapter a week or more, if I can find enough to write about the book fits my pace of the season.

Some of the older boys decide that they are going to build a signal fire so that they increase their chance of rescue. They manage to start a fire using Piggy’s glasses but soon the fire rages beyond the intended limits and now the forest is on fire. One of the unnamed younger kids is apparently missing and the fear is that he was trapped by the fire that they started.

This book is allegedly a commentary on society and human nature. So while it is a smart move to figure out some sort of signaling fire, the reckless or immature nature of twelve year old kids are at play. Essentially, we have preteens building or rebuilding society in this book. It is interesting because I have observed this behavior firsthand in the last couple of years. Which I will talk about further.

In one example, my older son has been in Boy Scouts since the fifth grade. They cross over into Boy Scouts from Cub Scouts late in the fifth grade year (about this time of year). They are immediately thrust into a youth organization that spans ages from about 12-18. Here is what I have observed.

About a third of the kids never make the transition. Scouts becomes something that is not cool and 6th grade is all about fitting in. I think that it is also intimidating to be a grade schooler with high schoolers. Of those there is a second group.

Of the group that goes, about about fifty percent of those attend through middle school. What I have observed is that if they continue with participation and rank advancement, they will probably go all the way. The ones that don’t make it are ones with spotty attendance to meetings and events. It is pretty rare to see a kid participate all the way into adulthood and not make the Eagle rank.

High school is the typical splitting point. I think that it is competition between sports and school activities and commitment to Boy Scouts. If the individual is not vested in rank advancement and is conflicted with other activities, Boy Scouts usually lose. The other side of that coin is that those that are vested, work Boy Scouts into the other activities. So, they might be ‘out’ for football but come back when they can or when the season is over.

My point with all this is that to observe twelve year old kids in a quasi-survival situation or leadership role is pretty enlightening. It could be that back in the 1950s when this book was written, younger kids were more responsible because they had to be. I don’t know, I wasn’t there. I suspect that what has changed is society.

I am not going to get into another gun control debate here but I think it is a perfect example for what I want to say. The number of accidental deaths with firearms is at record lows. I attribute that to a greater awareness of safety and a changed culture. While I would opine for the days you could have a firearm in the gun rack at school, there is no doubt that the movement to keep them locked up at home has had an impact on safety.

I have heard countless stories of ‘I used to hunt on the way home from school’ or ‘I ran a trap line before school’. That was normal, but so were accidents. Now, I don’t mean to say that it was prevalent, but that it was an acceptable fact of life that there were a higher rate of accidents. The culture change of accidents being unacceptable is what has driven the policies and therefore the results.

What I mean to say with all of this is that of course twelve year old’s set the forest on fire. They are not mature enough to think far enough into all of the possible risks and mitigation plans. This is why wisdom is so valuable because it is the experience that teaches us and makes us better. It is also why we as parents need to let our kids fail (safely). Kids will be a lot better served if they start learning as soon as possible and parents that solve all the problems before they occur are doing no favors.

End Your Programming Routine: This is one of the hardest things to do as a parent, letting your kids fail. My son that I referenced earlier got straight As his second semester as a sophomore. His first semester as a Junior, we backed off completely and he got Bs, Cs and an F. It kills me that he is capable but he has to learn it himself. He is one year away from being independent and I just don’t think that he achieve academic success alone at this time. It’s OK that he is not college material, I am not judging that. I just don’t want him to waste his money on something that seems improbable at this point. Yet again, that is something that he will have to decide and learn.

May 19, 2023 – Lord of The Flies, Chapter 1

May 19, 2023 /

We have come to a new book. It also happens to be one that I have never read. It also happens to be a book that shows up on the lists ‘If you like 1984, Atlas Shrugged, etc.’ Given that I have never read it, it is deemed a classic and it fits in this genre, it is my next pick for book review.

This is another reasonably short book. As of right now, I am going to take it a chapter at a time. This means that this review will last into the middle of the summer. Once again, I may change my mind if it seems like chapters go together or are really short. To make that decision, you really have either know the book or have pre-read well ahead. Of course, I have done neither at this point but I reserve the right to change my mind as we go along.

While I haven’t read the book, it is a story line that is familiar in our culture. That being said, there are also several movies on the book that I haven’t seen either. We will see if what I think I know holds up when we get through the book. As I was trying to figure out how to break up the book, I ran across this video which I think fits here.

The reason that this story fits into the dystopian genre is that apparently there is a nuclear war that has begun. For some reason, there are a whole plane load of children that get shot down over a deserted island. As we have it, no adults survived the crash and (so far) there is no mention of the wreckage or any assets related to the airplane. Apparently, most of the kids do not know each other and so this is the beginning of the story.

To me, this chapter speaks to or more aptly against the lone wolf theory. Let me explain. The lone wolf is a predominant idea in preparedness circles. It is one individual stocking up on supplies in the event that something happens. That individual plans on taking on the event solo; not sharing supplies or working with other individuals for survival or rebuilding. This has more to do with the lone wolf being ridiculed or ostracized for their beliefs and habits and so the attitude is anti-social.

Now, of the people that I have met with this mindset, there often is a reason that they become a lone wolf. A lot of people would characterize this as tin-foil hatters. The other reason is that they use poor rhetoric when trying to persuade others to their beliefs and tend to be abrasive or secretive to boot.

I have some of those tendencies as well. I hate social media, I keep people at a distance, I have some semi-radical ideas and I would rather be home than out and about for dinner or other activities. That being said, I understand that humans are social creatures and if there was some sort of rebuilding event, we need each other to successfully do that task.

In the book, the first thing that happens is the primary characters Ralph and Piggy find a conch shell to blow on it and make noise, like a horn. This sound brings all of the survivors to the sound and they immediately begin to organize. Leaders are elected and roles are created.

This of course goes against my anarchist tendencies. That being said, in a critical situation it makes a lot of sense for voluntary association to solve an acute problem. And for that kind of situation, I am all for a temporary association. Said better, they need each other and to take advantage of the strengths that each person can bring to the table for the common goal of survival and getting discovered for rescue.

The problem of course is that these things run their course and then you end up with sociopaths seeking power and attempting to maintain it when the situation does not warrant it. The leads to arbitrary or self-serving rules that enhance power and control. I often find leadership needs change as the situation evolves. The people that immediately get elected/appointed are the charismatic ones, not necessarily the ones that are ultimately the best leaders.

End Your Programming Routine: I have a theory that there are people good at starting things and those people are usually not the best at running them. It is the difference between entrepreneurial and work a job mindset. That being said, it is natural for people to organize in a social setting, especially for crisis situations. The book is already living up to it’s premise, this is a reflection of society.