Prescript- I wrote this some years ago. I didn't reread it before posting (oooh, dangerous, I know). It's kind of longish. I hope you get through it.
In recent study of poisons I have come across numerous references to the alchemist. Throughout history there have been individuals who have made it their study to find out certain secrets that would fulfill their dreams. These were to obtain the knowledge whereby they could turn various metals into gold and to find the elixir of life that would grant perpetual youth. These two goals went hand in hand. Alchemists sought the secret of the philosopher’s stone, which would aid in the transmutation process. Gold was a highly valued and praised metal for its characteristics; these being its luster and resistance to rust (long life). These pseudo-scientists believed that if they could understand the process that changed a less valuable metal into one that was superior that they could then apply the same principles to themselves and attain a never-ending life, or perpetual youth (such as gold has).
The contributions that alchemist have made to the field of chemistry as a side effect of their studies have been invaluable. However, the only real contribution that they made to their own field was to prove that the secret they sought did not exist.
When we were younger I am sure we all heard of the alchemists and were fascinated. More vivid in our minds were probably the stories of pirates. Pirates were adventurers who looked for buried treasure with old parchment maps, x marking the spot. They sailed the seven seas and had eye patches. My question is why we were fascinated by them. Why did we dress up like them for Halloween and wish to be them in real life? Why did we make pretend? More importantly, do we still believe the same philosophy that made us love them?
One lure (the biggest and perhaps the only one) that made us like the pirate and admire the alchemist was the idea of getting something for free. Pirates “found” treasure and alchemists “made” it. These people didn’t have to work like everybody else in the same way as the common man to get what everybody else had. These had the easy way.
The problem is that these were those that tried to cheat the pattern of value for value. For any and all transactions to be universally justified there must be an exchange of value that occurs. This can be a good for a good a service for a service or monetary exchange or any combination because these all represent value.
There are two questions I wish to address in regard to the short cutters. What were the results of their choice to use flawed means? And what were their other choices?
So what did the alchemist get for his search for wealth and youth? He got exactly what he deserved and the exact opposite of what he wanted. Because of the all consuming nature of the alchemist’s quest the alchemist was unable to maintain any activity that would create a means of providing for his support. When compared to the monumental task of making gold all other labor seemed to be wasteful and below the level of one so entrenched in so grand an endeavor. Secondly, all resources that were gained were poured into the labor that was second to nothing. The alchemist never became wealthy and was dependent on others for his support and would gain such through promises of wealth that were never fulfilled.
As for youth, the Alchemist wasted his life away in a laboratory never really being able to experience and enjoy the world that was his to have and to use because he was too enthralled in his own little closed sphere. His quest didn’t bring youth but sucked it from him and gave nothing in return.
As for pirates they were feared, hated and hunted. Their capture meant death. But the problems of pirates were not only the fear of being captured by those who ruled by law, but there was the fear of those on the inside. Because the pirate’s philosophy was to rob and plunder there was the possibility of shipmates turning and making prey on those who were once their comrades in similar endeavors. How could one whose means is stealing be expected to maintain the standards of honesty in one facet of life and not in all? The contradiction cannot long stand and either the honesty wins out and the pirate life must be abandoned, or dishonesty will win and there can be no trust on a ship of wholly treacherous men. The possibility of back stabbing and being the recipient of plunder were real. Pirates also did not find the wealth that they sought.
But what were the alternatives? Only one and that is adherence to the law of value. The alchemist should have spent his time in the pursuit of making wealth (through enterprise) and not of making gold. He should also have spent his youth in activity that would have been of value to himself and others. The pirate also should have put his efforts towards industry or worked to earn money as opposed to stealing the fruits of other’s labor.
The truth is this; there are universal laws and one of these is the law of value exchange. When any one tries to circumvent or cheat this law they receive the opposite of what they aim to get by doing so. Do we try to cheat these laws? Is it in our hearts to get for free what we can only have by work? And if the answer to these is yes, do we understand the consequences?
No comments:
Post a Comment