Comments on: Economies and Economies of Scale http://ceruleansanctum.com/2010/02/economies-and-economies-of-scale.html Looking for the 1st century Church in 21st century America Tue, 22 May 2012 03:53:34 +0000 hourly 1 By: onesimus (Tim)http://ceruleansanctum.com/2010/02/economies-and-economies-of-scale.html#comment-46400 onesimus (Tim) Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:22:14 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/?p=1949#comment-46400 There are clear complications when “locally produced” goods are being championed. Of course every community is not able to manufacture its own cars. But what about local bakeries? I once worked for a food company that made a practice of buying out small businesses, including local bakeries, with the intention of closing them down and centralising production. This was all well and good for their financial profits but they helped to destroy thriving local businesses, putting people out of work and they removed sources of FRESH produce and replaced it with a product that required long distances of transportation. The product also became homogenised with all local character removed. Varieties that regional communities had grown up with were abandoned and replaced with products whose most important feature was their ability to be safely transported great distances Who does this benefit apart from big business? There are clear complications when “locally produced” goods are being championed. Of course every community is not able to manufacture its own cars.

But what about local bakeries?
I once worked for a food company that made a practice of buying out small businesses, including local bakeries, with the intention of closing them down and centralising production. This was all well and good for their financial profits but they helped to destroy thriving local businesses, putting people out of work and they removed sources of FRESH produce and replaced it with a product that required long distances of transportation. The product also became homogenised with all local character removed. Varieties that regional communities had grown up with were abandoned and replaced with products whose most important feature was their ability to be safely transported great distances

Who does this benefit apart from big business?

]]> By: onesimus (Tim)http://ceruleansanctum.com/2010/02/economies-and-economies-of-scale.html#comment-46399 onesimus (Tim) Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:31:01 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/?p=1949#comment-46399 In “Dan’s world” we would lose a lot of the “blessings” that we westerners love to claim were provided by the Lord. However, in most cases those “blessings from the Lord” are really the thorns and weeds that choke out the word and prevent a fruitful outcome. I think in “Dan’s world” we would have a lot less trouble with those weeds and thorns that we prefer over God’s truth and God would be more likely to be given priority in our lives. That is why the gospel is spreading more effectively in “third world” nations. They don’t have the “blessings” of Wal-Mart, McDonalds and similar “national chains” to compete for their time and money. Looking back at my own childhood – my family used to spend time together out doors. We’d be taken to parks and have picnics. We’d be involved together in various sports and games. These days a day out for a family is a trip to the local mall where they spend all day wandering through shops and eating in crowded food halls. Some malls even provide roller coasters and other rides to make it a “perfect day out”. How things have changed. How PRIORITIES have changed! In “Dan’s world” we would lose a lot of the “blessings” that we westerners love to claim were provided by the Lord.
However, in most cases those “blessings from the Lord” are really the thorns and weeds that choke out the word and prevent a fruitful outcome.

I think in “Dan’s world” we would have a lot less trouble with those weeds and thorns that we prefer over God’s truth and God would be more likely to be given priority in our lives. That is why the gospel is spreading more effectively in “third world” nations. They don’t have the “blessings” of Wal-Mart, McDonalds and similar “national chains” to compete for their time and money.

Looking back at my own childhood – my family used to spend time together out doors. We’d be taken to parks and have picnics. We’d be involved together in various sports and games.
These days a day out for a family is a trip to the local mall where they spend all day wandering through shops and eating in crowded food halls. Some malls even provide roller coasters and other rides to make it a “perfect day out”.

How things have changed.
How PRIORITIES have changed!

]]> By: Dan Edelenhttp://ceruleansanctum.com/2010/02/economies-and-economies-of-scale.html#comment-46398 Dan Edelen Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:08:02 +0000 http://ceruleansanctum.com/?p=1949#comment-46398 David, I'm not the anti-Tim Keller. I'm not advocating we eliminate cities, only that we revitalize local economies and stop looking to the cities for all our answers. Smart people can reverse some of the flow. But it's hard and too many aren't up to the work. That's the problem. David,

I’m not the anti-Tim Keller. I’m not advocating we eliminate cities, only that we revitalize local economies and stop looking to the cities for all our answers. Smart people can reverse some of the flow. But it’s hard and too many aren’t up to the work. That’s the problem.

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