Overflight, 4
“Our analysis found that for every £1 in value created, £7 worth of value is destroyed by a highly paid City banker. In summary, our calculation is derived from the following:
Factors in value created:
1 Average annual contribution of the City to UK economic activity, as measured by gross value added;
2 Tax contributions to the Exchequer;
3 Jobs provided in the wholesale finance sector.
Factors in value destroyed:
1 The cost of the current financial crisis in terms of loss to UK gross domestic product and economic capacity;
2 The cost of that crisis in terms of the negative impact on the public finances.
We might also have thrown the net wider and included other impacts, not least the negative impact on the global economy of the activities of highly paid investment bankers and traders. Far from being "wealth creators", City bankers are being handsomely rewarded for socially damaging activity. They are not just overpaid; they are overpaid at the expense of others.
… our research finds that we reward hospital cleaners very badly for what they contribute. For every £1 we pay them they generate over £10 in social value.”
New Economics Foundation (neweconomics.org), from report “A Bit Rich: Calculating the real value to society of different professions”
“The most difficult thing to confront is Evil.”
“That which a person can confront, he can handle.
The first step of handling anything is gaining an ability to face it.
…
We are looking here at the basic anatomy of all problems. Problems start with an inability to confront anything. Whether we apply this to domestic quarrels or to insects, to garbage dumps or Picasso, one can always trace the beginning of any existing problem to an unwillingness to confront.”
“There are several choices in English on the meaning of "confront". These include the right one: To face without flinching or avoiding.
…
In essence it is an action of being able to face.
If one cannot, if he avoids, then he is not AWARE.
Awareness is the ability to perceive the existence of.
…
We are moving out of the range of language when we want to say:
«He could stand up to things and wasn’t always shrinking back into himself and avoiding, so he could be fully conscious of the real universe and others around him.»
And that’s what Confront means.
If one can confront he can be aware.
If he is aware he can perceive and act.
If he can’t confront he will not be aware of things and will be withdrawn and not perceiving. Thus he is unaware of things around him.”
“… the world begins anew by regaining the ability to confront.”
L. Ron Hubbard
