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January 22, 2004

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Yesterday's reflection on the meaning (or not) of banking in the world lead to an interesting email from a friend. I'm going to paraphrase a little.

My friend was at the doctor and mentioned the recent losses at National Australia Bank. From the email (the numbers are in Australian dollars)

...he said the money just lost could run 2 hospitals for a year.

He then mentioned he receives a research grant - to help research heart attacks for the young ..... apparently some device can cut the death
rate by 50% and he told me about a recent 36 year old individual who's life was saved by the device (costs $20K and he needs more funding to help others)

Anyway - he carried on about bringing out a cardiologist to Australia with 15 years knowledge blah blah Harvard blah blah to help patients and further research.

It would cost $120K per year - and he was knocked back by a hospital.

$120K to save lives v the big bucks in banking!!!

Your thoughts of the day were deja vu.

I know it's the way of the world and there's limits on what we can spend and the like. But it makes you think that somewhere along the way society might have got it's priorities a little mixed up.

 posted by Simon on 01.22.04 at 10:29 AM in the




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Comments:

Mind you, that money didn't just disappear. Someone else got it.

 posted by: Pixy Misa on 01.22.04 at 01:09 PM [permalink]

I'm not sure that our society has its priorities mixed up so much as we're misinterpreting what society is and what its supposed to be.

 posted by: bigdocmcd on 01.23.04 at 01:41 AM [permalink]


This assumes that the world has a central set of priorities. I see it as disparate elements jammed together with very loose connections.

The priorities of one area don't necessarily jibe with or flow over to others.

As you yourself said, there is work that is paid a hell of alot for objectives that doesn't necessarily contribute greatly to the world.

 posted by: Andrew on 01.23.04 at 08:13 AM [permalink]




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