vpFREE2 Forums

What would you do?

#1

Wow - I'm not a professional gambler, but I am truly underwhelmed by the answers (so far) from those who apparently are -- make babies and stay alive??!! Come on! Are professional gamblers really cut from a cloth that is so self-centered that they would pretty much reject the "everyone pitch in" values of this society, where they will spend the rest of their lives??

If so, the next time you get sick there, don't expect their help to get healthy again -- and in the meantime, hope that they don't just put you out on your own, since you clearly are not even trying to pitch in -- and then you likely would not survive without the natives' skill and knowledge set.

I hope that everyone would observe and see what the values and needs of such a society are, and then try to use their knowledge, however basic, of modern technology to introduce them to very basic things to make their life better -- perhaps something in the area of sewage, water transport, health care (eg, do they know about basic hygiene / hand-washing, etc) -- certainly with a little observation, we of modern times have some knowledge that can improve the lives of this group.

--BG

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5.1. What would you do?
Date: Thu Apr 28, 2011 12:59 pm ((PDT))

Imagine you are shipwrecked on a desert isle at roughly the
stone age technological level of Polynesian islands before
the Spanish found them. The natives nurse you back to health
and take excellent care of you. Even though they haven't
asked you for anything in return, it is quite apparent that
everyone in their community pitches in for the common good.

What do you do to contribute and repay them for saving your
life and all their kindness?

You have only the knowledge in your head and your physical
capabilities to draw from.

#2

Just the notion of being "productive" is modern. If you insist on being "productive", your only real option is to produce babies. Other than that it's Jimmy Buffet time, watch the sunrise on an eastern beach and set on a western beach, party all day and all night. There are various sources of sugar that can be fermented into alcohol (the locals already know how to do this) and the lifestyle and food are very healthy, there is little stress, no cancer or cardiovascular or other diseases of modern lifestyle. There is no value in owning things or knowledge so all of these things are free. You would have to learn their language of course, since they are untouched from the outside they must be very remote and away from the shipping lanes so there is probably no value to them of learning English and your chances of being "rescued" must be near nil. (As a side note, this doesn't exist, though there may be some remote untouched people in the Amazon or Asian jungles or remote Himalayan valleys.) They probably don't have written language, you could do that, but it's probably a negative to their culture, since oral cultures are much richer. Your biggest problem actually is to try not to have a negative impact on them. You may be carrying modern diseases of overpopulation (cold, flu, std's) that will soon wipe them out and leave you alone. Frank specified a "desert island", but it must get enough rain to support humans, otherwise it would be an unpopulated bird island and you would likely not live long. If it gets rain and has coconuts you could probably live a long time if you could stand the isolation, eventually likely someone will come along to harvest the coconuts.

http://www.google.com/search?q=tasaday

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--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, Barry Glazer <b.glazer@...> wrote:

Wow - I'm not a professional gambler, but I am truly underwhelmed by the answers (so far) from those who apparently are -- make babies and stay alive??!! Come on! Are professional gamblers really cut from a cloth that is so self-centered that they would pretty much reject the "everyone pitch in" values of this society, where they will spend the rest of their lives??

#3

Well I took metal & wood shop, and pottery in high-school. Since then ,as hobbies, I have done some glass blowing, leather working, home brewing, and armor forging, mostly in medieval renaissance clubs. As a kid my main hobby was rock collecting, so I know my way around geology fairly well.

So here's what I'd do in no particular order:

1. Learn the language
2. Scout the entire Island for natural resources
3. Introduce simple devices like the Archimedes Screw, lever, water wheel, and other labor saving devices, etc... (too long a list, I'm a history buff)
4. Work on creating paper from wood pulp. Make glue from milk as bonding agent.
5. Attempt to give them written language and mathematics
6. Personal hygiene, and if I was successful in creating glass lenses for magnification, show them bacteria.

Depending on natural resources available--Sure they'd have seaweed and sand.

6. Show them how to make potash by burning seaweed and distilling it.
7. Create a kiln and get to work showing them how to make glass from silica and potash/ or quartz/potash.
8. Increase the yield of their crops by using the potash as a fertilizer.
9. If limestone deposits were available I'd show them how to make concrete.
10. If clay deposits were around introduce them to pottery.
11. If they had indigenous animals, I'd pass on leather working and tanning.
12. With metal deposits, show them how to craft metal tools. (pottery has to come first, to forge metal you must first have ceramic).
13. Time permitting (I'm probably old and dead by now). I'd continue the progression from bronze age up to industrially revolution giving them electricity, steam-power, etc...
14. If if found a wife, I would of course try to be a good father and pass on as much of myself to my children.

I would also be extremely careful to make sure their technology didn't exceed their wisdom, and I'd do nothing to remove their reverence of nature. I would not introduce the concept of money. I would not create weapons for them, even though I know how, unless they were in danger from other tribes.

What I found interesting for me in this thought experiment, is that of all my gambling skills, only math turned out to be useful and worth passing on.

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I don't think there can be a wrong answer to the question, "What would you do?" I'm sure that everyone answering this post is the worlds foremost authority on themselves.

Please keep in mind this was just supposed to be a light-entertainment and not the spark for serious philosophical discussion. It's important for me to know what interests the minds of gamblers for my show.

~FK

#4

Good on you! You should teach them to make beer though!

Kurt

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--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Frank" <frank@...> wrote:

I would not introduce the concept of money. I would not create weapons >for them, even though I know how, unless they were in danger from >other tribes.

#5

After all you have shown them they would consider you a god and you would have to mate with all the women.

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--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Frank" <frank@...> wrote:

Well I took metal & wood shop, and pottery in high-school. Since then ,as hobbies, I have done some glass blowing, leather working, home brewing, and armor forging, mostly in medieval renaissance clubs. As a kid my main hobby was rock collecting, so I know my way around geology fairly well.

So here's what I'd do in no particular order:

1. Learn the language
2. Scout the entire Island for natural resources
3. Introduce simple devices like the Archimedes Screw, lever, water wheel, and other labor saving devices, etc... (too long a list, I'm a history buff)
4. Work on creating paper from wood pulp. Make glue from milk as bonding agent.
5. Attempt to give them written language and mathematics
6. Personal hygiene, and if I was successful in creating glass lenses for magnification, show them bacteria.

Depending on natural resources available--Sure they'd have seaweed and sand.

6. Show them how to make potash by burning seaweed and distilling it.
7. Create a kiln and get to work showing them how to make glass from silica and potash/ or quartz/potash.
8. Increase the yield of their crops by using the potash as a fertilizer.
9. If limestone deposits were available I'd show them how to make concrete.
10. If clay deposits were around introduce them to pottery.
11. If they had indigenous animals, I'd pass on leather working and tanning.
12. With metal deposits, show them how to craft metal tools. (pottery has to come first, to forge metal you must first have ceramic).
13. Time permitting (I'm probably old and dead by now). I'd continue the progression from bronze age up to industrially revolution giving them electricity, steam-power, etc...
14. If if found a wife, I would of course try to be a good father and pass on as much of myself to my children.

I would also be extremely careful to make sure their technology didn't exceed their wisdom, and I'd do nothing to remove their reverence of nature. I would not introduce the concept of money. I would not create weapons for them, even though I know how, unless they were in danger from other tribes.

What I found interesting for me in this thought experiment, is that of all my gambling skills, only math turned out to be useful and worth passing on.
____________________________________________

I don't think there can be a wrong answer to the question, "What would you do?" I'm sure that everyone answering this post is the worlds foremost authority on themselves.

Please keep in mind this was just supposed to be a light-entertainment and not the spark for serious philosophical discussion. It's important for me to know what interests the minds of gamblers for my show.

~FK

#6

The H.M.S. vpFREE shipwrecked in the rocks off a desert island. Only Frank and a few of his shipmates made it to shore. Before they knew it they were surrounded by hostile natives. Frank pulled out his trusty knife! The battle insued. The rest of Frank's shipmates were killed. Only Frank survived. He was captured. He was brought into the village and tied to a stake in the heat of day.

The natives had this huge black kettle. They lit a fire under it and brought the water to a big boil. Then the flap of a hut flew open. It was the Chief. The Chief walked up to Frank and said "Young man, would you like to be my dinner....or my son-in-law?"

The flap to another hut flew open. Out danced this big 300 pound girl with a big bone in her nose. Frank looked at the Chief and said "You know, Chief, that's a mighty cute daughter you have there. But you didn't have to give me the runt of the litter. I'm sure we'll be very happy, Chief. Bring many little chiefs! By the way, Chief, do you know how to make potash out of seaweed?"