[LMB] Betan influence

[Azalais Aranxta]

On Tue, 5 Jun 2007, Damien Sullivan wrote:

> Barrayar has been recapitulating 1000 years of technological
> (and to some extent, social) development in those few
> generations, while Beta largely spent the 1000 years doing the
> development in the first place. Of course Barrayar is changing
> faster, just as China has a higher growth rate than the US --
> it's catching up.

That in itself is a good reason for some people to prefer
Barrayar.  I have an American, white as white bread, very
Californian friend whose father is married to a Chinese woman and
she likes to go to China.  Every now and again she thinks about
moving to China permanently.  Not because China is necessarily
the freer, better country politically, but because it's
expanding, growing, catching up, and she feels there are more
opportunities for her there to strike out and do new things, to
get in on the development, whereas here, she feels, that's not as
easy.

I can't say as I blame her and were I in my 20s I might do the
same.  I've had to face up to some facts about my health
situation the past few years, and I accept I'd probably do
better on Beta even if there would be things I'd quite dislike
about it (just like California actually).

But I think a lot of the people who say they'd rather live on
Barrayar and/or Jackson's Whole are thinking of the
risk/opportunity equation.  There is a lot more at stake and the
consequences of failure are far worse, but there is a lot of room
for an enterprising person to really grow in both places.  Room
for growth is exactly what Beta doesn't have.

~malfoy

****************************************************************
Azalais Aranxta (~malfoy)
ataniell93 on LiveJournal and Vox
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/malfoymadness

"I know the true world, and you know I do. But we needn't let it
think we all bow down." --Christopher Morley