@fable- hey, that's what I was going to say
I also think it has something to do with the way certain intangibles have become legitimate objectives for some people, eg money.
An interesting perspective that I learned from my studies of South Pacific communities is that these supposed "primitive" communities (as they are called by many people) live a much more balanced life than the "developed" countries. For instance, the amount of fish taken is exactly the amount required for food, and it is divvied up according to need.
With capitalism, however, the incentive is to take all the fish you can, otherwise someone else will profit from those fish. This is real problem, too. Fishstocks have been destroyed in many areas
This strikes me as a godd example of the way money (as an example) encourages greed and distorts the "balance"
geez, I sound like Jaheira
[ 09-04-2001: Message edited by: Yanlee ]