To me a homeless
person is a vestige of the time before industrial commerce. The
homeless person is a nearly perfect living manifestation of a member of
the hereditary upper class in most of Europe 200 years ago before we
were redeemed by commerce. Why?
* A homeless person smells from
their own urine and from wearing clothes for days or weeks without a
shower. In 1809 Europe there were no baths. Everyone smelled awful
including Royalty. You can read about the Japanese encounter with
Europeans. The Japanese, who bathed every day, would not let any
European (Europeans smelled terribly) enter any building. All meetings
were outside. In the regions near Europe, only the Finns, Hungarians
and Turks bathed regularly.
* A homeless person smells from continuously drinking sweet alcohol. The 1809 European ritually drank five times a day, often rum or sweet port. this kept the pain of tooth aches, deformed feet and legs, lice, tape worms, vestiges of childhood disease and countless infections from being too debilitating.
* A homeless person eats food regularly and doesn't work. Only the hereditary upper class in 1809 Europe ate regularly and did little or no work, everyone else lived near starvation and in periodic famine conditions.
* The homeless person generally wears cotton underclothes and some cotton pants. Only the hereditary Upper-class in 1809 Europe wore any cotton, which was very expensive. Everyone else wore wool, felt and leather and it was pretty raggedy.
On this day, reflecting on the homeless person we should realize that commerce, not government, not the military, not religion and certainly not academia brought us bathing in hot water, sewers, fresh water, cheap cotton and dozens of other bright warm fabrics, an abundant supply of food, medical care and medical technology, wealth to use for leisure time and clean neat clothes. It was commerce.
Today, we should all give thanks for commerce and the world it has brought us and brought to the billions of other people who don't live the way Jesus and his family did.
* A homeless person smells from continuously drinking sweet alcohol. The 1809 European ritually drank five times a day, often rum or sweet port. this kept the pain of tooth aches, deformed feet and legs, lice, tape worms, vestiges of childhood disease and countless infections from being too debilitating.
* A homeless person eats food regularly and doesn't work. Only the hereditary upper class in 1809 Europe ate regularly and did little or no work, everyone else lived near starvation and in periodic famine conditions.
* The homeless person generally wears cotton underclothes and some cotton pants. Only the hereditary Upper-class in 1809 Europe wore any cotton, which was very expensive. Everyone else wore wool, felt and leather and it was pretty raggedy.
On this day, reflecting on the homeless person we should realize that commerce, not government, not the military, not religion and certainly not academia brought us bathing in hot water, sewers, fresh water, cheap cotton and dozens of other bright warm fabrics, an abundant supply of food, medical care and medical technology, wealth to use for leisure time and clean neat clothes. It was commerce.
Today, we should all give thanks for commerce and the world it has brought us and brought to the billions of other people who don't live the way Jesus and his family did.