Having lived in a society that engineered themselves to be just as Grandpa has said, I have (I think) a unique perspective on this question. GP, you are right in that there is no great motivation to be creative, hardworking, or strive to something better. However, there was no one living in the streets, no hunger, great educational opportunities for everyone. It just goes to show - there is no perfection here on Earth - we get to wait for perfection. And anytime we deal in absolutes, it's more likely (IMHO) that we are absolutely wrong than absolutely right.