Arbeit macht frei: - Fredrick Töben

It reminds me of those individuals who frequent restaurants for want of
celebrating a civilised meal at home. Such individuals popularise one
restaurant, then when familiarity sets in, as it always does, it is time to move
on. Such nomads cannot establish a viable society, just as pure consumerism
cannot sustain a viable society because one essence of a healthy society is its
ability to nurture and maintain itself and think in generational terms and not
merely in immediate sense gratification.
This means that instead of throwing things away and buying new items,
there is the impetus to maintain, to repair, to create – rather than simply to
discard and get a new thing. Such an attitude to self-preservation recalls how
Adolf Hitler and the National Socialists disconnected from the international
monetary system that had created an inflationary situation where billions of
Marks became worthless pieces of paper. Hitler also rejected the gold
standard and proclaimed the principle of autarky where the value of work
done by a person was the measure for a nation’s wealth creation.
Such thinking threatened the international financial system that at one time
supported both major ideologies of communism and national socialism, but
then dropped the latter when it realised what autarky implied if applied to
the economic and social sphere.
I recall how the Christian Zionists, who support the Zionist state of Israel,
were once warmly embraced by the Zionists until the Jews started rejecting
their support when it become apparent that at the second coming of Christ
these Zionist Christians expect the Jews to convert to Christianity – an
unlikely event.
* * * * *
When I arrived at Cadell I walked the track which other inmates advised
was the legal limit of my walk. On that walk I saw the orange grove with the
first sign that needs painting. What struck me was how dilapidated the signs
were: posts with the paint flaking off and needing fresh black lettering.
And so it came to pass that on Monday, 7 September I align myself with
Abdul who had already collected his brush and paint tin, as had Cliff. We
walked towards the oval where only a few years ago grapes grew in
abundance, but now with water shortages a serious problem, the vines made
way for grass, and the sprinkler system was adapted to an automatic one,
thus ensuring the oval was always reasonably green and ideal for Aussie
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