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by millerc 4735 days ago
Because life is hard. You might think yourself part of an advanced civilization, but the moment you step out of society, you live in a jungle.

"No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Illness will come, hardship will come, childbirth will come. Anything you won't be able to handle by yourself, by cause of weakness, incompetence or lack of resources, you will need the support of others to get through it. That support will be available if you're a well-integrated part of society.

I was lucky enough to know illness early in my career. I've been thought by this that I can't cut myself off from society, I can't go very far from hospitals without risking my life.

You are not a servant. You are part of a society, of which you need the services to get anywhere past your 40's. Serving others makes you worth being served.

2 comments

The OP is not suggesting the rejection of community, he/she is suggesting the rejection of a 'life'style -- the American lifestyle. Clearly community is essential and I doubt the OP would disagree with that.
The "American life'style" ... What a load of uncritical, unthoughtful, anti-American nonsense. So do these non-American countries have air conditioners, plumbing systems, and so on? If so, how did they get there without so-called "servants?"
This is one of those things advanced civilizations really hide from us, so it becomes so easy to think the world is full of roses and nothing to be afraid of.