EveningI've been doing a lot of thinking, and I don't think that, given the race to destruction promoted by some idiots (sorry Ca.. well, no, I'm not sorry, Catholics. Your religion is stupid and harmful. Bite me.), keeping borders from being completely open, as a form of population/resource usage control, may be a good thing. One of the issues with open everything is that with things other nations and cultures do, they circumvent local laws, introducing harmful competition or promoting irresponsible behaviour. In a world where every nation has responsible laws, open (but not "free") markets/immigration/etc may be a good thing. Not surprisingly, free markets in the real world provide a way for businesspeople to exploit other peoples in ways that it would be illegal to do here, and for irresponsible and backwards people to export their unwanted poor to other areas rather than controlling their birth rates. A "two child" policy would make a lot of sense for developed nations.
I'm amazed that I'm still coming to understand more about how so many of the things I formerly believed in are implicit invitations for "let business do what it wants to society". I think I was blind to the idea that business interests were interests at all, because I accepted that human nature under capitalism was true human nature. Now I've come to feel that there is no comprehensive intrinsic human nature, and that there is no neutral position or government. What human nature we do have has portions that we all fight to various degrees, many of which are harmful to society. National shaping begins with shaping the individual, and the unshaped person does not exist.
Recently, I've been enjoying listening to various recordings of an old Yiddish classic, "Tum Balalaika". I can understand a good amount of it without translation (Yiddish being, like Dutch, a German dialect). One of my favourite versions is by Ivan Rebroff, but he doesn't seem to be singing the actual lyrics (apart from the refrain). The version by the Klezmer Conservatory Band is quite nice, although that version is translated (embellished) with commentary as the song goes on, and while that was amusing the first time, it isn't so good on repeated listening.
Without the refrain, for the interested, here's the song:
Steht a Bokher, steht und tracht Tracht und tracht a ganze Nacht Vemen zu nehmen und nicht farshemen Vemen zu nehmen und nicht farshemen
Meydl, meydl, kh'vil bei dir fragen, Was kann vaksn, vaksn ohne regen Was kann brenen und nicht oyfhern Was kann benken veynen ohne trern
Narisher Bokher, was darfst du fragen? Ein Shteyn kann vaksn, vaksn ohne regen Liebe kann brenen und nicht oyfhern Ein Hartz kann benken veynen ohne trern
Note that I have germanified the spelling a bit, as the normal anglicization of Yiddish (which is normally written in the Hebrew alphabet) is hard for me to look at. I am amused to say that Googlefish does a poor job in translating it to English -- you really should know German and perhaps have a Yiddish dictionary if you want to get a good translation. Because I'm nice, I'll offer my translation below.
Waits a Boy, waits and longs Longs and longs the entire night Decides whom to take and who not to bother Decides whom to take and who not to bother
Miss, miss, I have something to ask you, What can grow, grow without rain? What can burn, burn and not be consumed? What can cry, cry with out tears?
Silly Boy, what should you be asking? A stone can grow, grow without rain Love can burn and not be consumed A heart can cry without tears
Dusk