Freeconomy Blog
Sun
21 Nov
In your name?
| 71 comments |
Money - this tool we currently use to oil the wheels of local, national and global exchange - has many inevitably destructive consequences. One of these consequences stands out above the rest - not only because of its critical role in creating the ecological mess we're finally starting to fully understand - but because of how misunderstood and overwhelmingly miscalculated it is. This consequence: money keeps us separated.
Not just from the people in our local community, but from the destructive repercussions that the stuff we mindlessly consume has on everything involved in its supply chain. Which is great news for the global marketeers, such as many of the major apparel corporations, who rely on their sub-contracted Haitian workers (who get paid an hourly wage we wouldn't bother to pick up off the ground) never meeting the end consumer who pays $100+ for the shoe that took them minutes to make. And vice versa.
But when we know something, can we really unknow it? And if we can't, how can we just keep turning a blind eye? Buying 'green' or 'ethical' (whatever they actually mean, given that no one can actually give a standardised definition) is not sufficient enough anymore. The very act of buying is the problem. It means we're consuming something that we had almost zero relationship with; not with the earth that supplied the materials, or with the person who made it. Until the degrees of separation between the consumer and the consumed are no more than one degree, symptoms such as climate change, peak oil and deforestation are simply inevitable.
Trying to endlessly buy our way to sustainability is as ridiculous as trying to shag our way to virginity.
Just in case you aren't aware of some of the symptoms of our total disconnection from what we consume are today, here is a flavour:
1. We're using over 85,000,000 barrels of oil EVERY DAY (2006/2007 figures). That's the equivalent of 22,000,000,000 (yes, 22 billion) slaves, working 40hrs a week, to maintain this fantasy society, this temporary illusion of a functioning economic model. The effects of this on our biosphere, our obesity levels (40% of school children in US are obese), the rate at which we conquer the few remaining natural ecosystems left etc. are simply staggering.
2. We are destroying our rainforests now at the rate of over 1 hectare per second. That's 150 acres per minute. 216,000 acres per day (an area the size of New York). 78,000,000 acres per year (an area the size of Poland, roughly).
When you consider that 50% of all species on the earth (yes folks, contrary to what our current culture and religious institutions would have us believe, the universe/earth wasn't created solely for our pleasure and God isn't a white male human!) live in tropical rainforests, you get a fuller understanding of the effects of the devastation we're inflicting on millions of years of evolution of life on this planet. All so that we can take more than we need.
3. The global economic model we persist with is complicit in the murder of 1 child every 3 seconds from starvation alone. When you consider that this happens at a fossil-fuelled time of abundance in human history, when the free-market economics of the the UK throws out 33% of all food produced (US - over 50%), it's makes me feel incredibly angry. How do you feel about it? Angry? Sad? And can you transform that emotion into positive action?
This criminal discrepancy can't be interfered with, however, as to do so would be to mess with free-market economics. However, when the banks need us to bail them out, then apparently our politicians and economists are more than happy for us to interfere with the market.
4. An estimated 1.2 million Iraqi people have been killed in 'Operation Iraqi Freedom', with countless others suffering horrific injuries. Why? A complex set of reasons, but three stand out:
a. Resources - we want cheap oil so we can have cheap everything else. Iraq has plenty of it.
b. Political positioning in Middle East - which again, like everything else, comes down to the economy. If security really is your main concern, bombing people doesn't make you safer. As Michael Franti once said, "you can bomb the world to pieces, but you can't bomb it into peace".
c. Deconstruction means reconstruction. And do you know who gets the contracts? That's right, the victors, and Halliburton in particular. If that corporation means nothing to you, Bush's former vice president Dick Cheney was their CEO and still works for them.
5. In the US alone, 19,000 factory farmed animals are killed every single minute. Multiple that worldwide, and you see the scale of the atrocities (socially and culturally accepted as they are). 776,000,000 animals (check the astonishing counter here) were killed - in conditions on a par with Auschwitz - in the US in this month alone. And this is just the confirmed murder count.
6. £1 out of every £8 spent on all retail in the UK goes to Tesco (this occurred at a time when their Chief Executive, Terry Leahy was one of Blair and Brown's chief advisors). That's 12.5% spent on everything - food, clothes, appliances, gadgets, the lot. The other 87.5% is now almost entirely soaked up by the other corporate giants: IKEA, Asda/Walmart, Waitrose, Sainsburys, Marks and Spencers, HMV, Morrisons, John Lewis, The Coop, Dixons and Argos just to name a few.
I don't think you need me to outline the effect a small number of incredibly powerful corporations has on growers (food, cotton etc), local communities and how we actually perceive the world, which they control through tools such as advertising and branding.
Free-market economics is nothing of the sort, even economists recognise that, hence they introduced competition law. Because if they didn't, the logical conclusion would be that in time, the rich would get richer to the point where one corporation owned everything. Yes, everything. That is the true nature of a capitalist system if left uncontrolled. To ease some of the horrors of this system, they introduced these laws, which in effect create oligopoly's which in reality just give the illusion of choice. Thousands of types of ready meals to chose from, yet only two or three political parties.
7. On the same note, here are some sobering thoughts (according to the UN):
The richest 1% own 40% of the world's assets. The richest 2% own 49% of the world's assets. The richest 10% own 85% of the world's assets. Lets rephrase that, and see how it looks:
90% of the world's population (i.e. the poorest) own only 15% of the assets.
If you like to pay lip-service to politically correct words such as equality, it is essential to understand that equality can never occur in this economic model. Class systems need to be maintained within nations and between nations. If they weren't, the effect on inflation would mean the rich were no longer rich, and who they hell would go to the factories that make our stuff if we were all rich?
Please stop paying lip-service about equality if you continue to reinforce an economic model that can only serve to make inequality more extreme. It is a model in which, by its nature, the poor can only get poorer, and the rich...
These statistics are just a tiny selection, a glimpse at a world where millions of years of evolution are being wiped out by humanity; 50,000 species a year, and that's just the ones we know about.
So do we now say 'Not in my name anymore', or do we continue content in the knowledge we're doing our bit?
We say we don't want these things, yet how many of us are prepared to change our lives enough to end the complicity, and to actively work towards a new localised economic model, where friendships and knowledge of the local economy come to replace this inadequate tool - money - as our primary source of security again.
This economic model can never be equal, truly sustainable or just, by its very nature. It can be improved a little bit, but that's about as good as it will get folks.
The Question is: What are you going to do about? Continue with Business as Usual? Or dare to imagine something completely different, and be the change you want to see.
I guess I'm asking if you want the blue pill, or the red pill? If the latter, drop me a line. If the former, stop reading and get back to work, your economy needs you.
THE FREECONOMY BLOG is written by Mark Boyle, who has been living for the last two years without money, and is the founder of the Freeconomy Community. He is the author of The Moneyless Man.
Comment on this Post:
Yvonne comments ...
I agree with what you are saying & trying to achieve. However the Sad Fact is not many people care. I wrk in retail & see the consumer addiction everyday & frankly it depresses me.
I am trying to spread the word & have my own page Living Life The Green & Frugal Way. I'm vegetarian, don't drive, trying to Live More With Less. However a lot of people think I'm crazy as all they care about is money & consumer goods.
If only people could understand money isn't the key to happiness xxx
Holy Bliss comments ...
thank you for putting this so clearly. seeing this is making me literally sick to the stomach. not in my name, no!
Tomasz Gorecki comments ...
buying is essentially an endless cycle which we get ourselves into to satisfy ourselves. However, each time we get something, that happiness lasts a short time and then we get rid of it, seeking for something new. And it goes on and on.
Linda Emslie comments ...
in the blink of an eye the banks could die....... en mass cash withdrawal 7th Dec xxx
Frank Bowman comments ...
Nice one mark. If I could I would put endless ticks against 'like'. I would. Both have to be done, I think. There is so so much history of attempts to claim our land rights. We have our own indigenous rights too, we are descendants. . The d...iggers song, ends with the line. 'and they came to cut us down'. So buying the using their rules, for land, the legal structure has to be solid. Another aspect is that the totally moneyless stall gets people giving money too, even when the money is also put into a tin on the stall to be taken, and this is what bought our free land. So it can be free financing in that way.
All this is still early days. And from the models that are set up, and from what has gone before, we can learn. I solidly feel that little acorns will grow, and good examples will be copied.
But, you are so right in what you ponder. So both ways are correct, I feel. (Have a meet up with vic and i, we've done a lot of debate in this area in the past) They can have their paper and we'll have their land. - being aware that it is only the 1920's that land tax was lifted!
This whole issue, is why Gypsies of all types exist, and why they have always been moved on. Never having wanted to be under the rule, always out laws. Never having been left in peace with their own stopping places to organise their social society, the alternative community moneyless way of living. Indigenous peoples all. The WE need to organise. To pool our resources to share.
Ellen Stackpoole comments ...
Such is the hell of self imprisonment that consumerism entices fools to buy into, pun intended! New concept, new philosophy, new life.
Penny comments ...
As usual Mark, you've tackled head first so many of the things that the rest of us pussyfoot around and choose to "not know" ignore for fear of losing our convenient way of life. Like Upton Sinclair said " It's hard to convince a man of something when his livelihood depends on him not understanding it".
Thom Browne comments ...
Moder day consumism is fuelled by media selling all the time. Media whatever way you view it, is solely concerned with selling, if it is not corporations it is businesses or political or an individuals view point, so i say let individuals take back from large corporations and politicians spin masters, and get into informing about the contradictions that society finds in itself.......
Frank Bowman comments ...
Sometimes I think im a robot. programmed. Media is a big one of the three. (Land and community, other two) It seems that its only when something goes way against ones nature, that one says. No no no. And no. But most times, its Yes.
Lewis Turner comments ...
I always wonder about this subject, im broke as a joke and been trying to gradually self sustain myself for the last 2 years, but EVERYTHING seems to be about money, If I didn't have a lady and child to support it would be easy for me, it wouldn't really cost much, but as a family or a community, you have to buy land, then materials, its a hard 1
david comments ...
for those of you who don't know this one yet- replace the bbc with: http://www.bbc5.tv/eyeplayer/
for many thoughts along similar lines to Mark, to inspire change, to educate, to think outside the box.
follow and be love, do not allow fear to rule you.
xxx
david comments ...
here's the link for the world protest against banks:
http://www.bankrun2010.com/
and here's the guardian news page where i found it:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/nov/20/eric-cantona-bank-protest-campaign
curbina comments ...
With each of your blogs I feel the increasing need to free myself from the economic Matrix. Please keep going and you'll see soon many of us joining you actively in each of our places.
Eko Chef comments ...
Lewsi, I don't know where you live, but there are free food progrsms popping up and if you don't have one near then start one! I guess it's tough having started a 'crash course' lifestyle, but if you search that name on You tube, perhaps you will see why in very real time the things you intend to rely on are not going to be in existance ecnomically and then physically...
Dave Yates comments ...
Some scary stats there.It's a timely post,especially as the IMF wolves are closing in on Ireland
Mark Boyle comments ...
@ Dave - Yeah Ireland has got itself into a real mess - I wouldn't insult a pack of wolves by drawing comparisons though with the IMF!
Thom Browne comments ...
For some in Ireland they are at last a breath of fresh air, now cuts can genuinly be made across the board which means the top bracket civil servants judges lawyers and administrationand Quangos will be cut...???
Marlene Foliot comments ...
I guess I'm asking if you want the blue pill, or the red pill? If the latter, drop me a line. If the former, stop reading and get back to work, your economy needs you. I lOVE IT !!!! Thanks for writing Mark..
Thom Browne comments ...
Ireland was used as the laboratory rat for Euopean financial world, and the gangsters our government did not see this, so wolves eating similar wolves, yes Real wolves sorry for the simile,..
russell comments ...
if you had your way how would vaccines be developed and distributed. if you dont have certain tech developments the population will die back to 1.5billion. thats not necessary if tech is put to proper use.
most people now live in cities. which allows the wilderness to regroup? see the fora.tv talks by the long now foundation. i wouldnt get in the way of the movement to cities despite my choice of lower intensity living. mainly because cities create solutions to human life and man has only sped up his destruction not started it 50 years ago. plowing wrecks fields according to permaculturists, we killed every large creature in every continent, think am indians running herds off cliffs and maoris eating everything that moved. surely the only way out of this is a deep appreciation for equlaity backed by real knowledge gained by thorough communication between scientists. which means a lot of infrastructure. which makes freeconomy important as a human right but fringe to social progress?
Mark Boyle comments ...
@ Marlene -thanks for reading, you're a gem :)
@ Thom - Difficult to tell how it will all turn out. I guess everyone in Ireland has to take personal responsibility for it, the government are also carrying out the desire of the voters for mo...
Thom Browne comments ...
Not quite correct, they got less than 50% of votes but had to form alliance with greens who sold out, and they have not held by-elections that were outstanding so in fact they got in through neglect and skullduggary......and Banks were responsible for misleading and also insider dealing that was the reason why the country had to call in Europe, unlike the rest of the world our banks were hiding figures and cooking the books thats why it is so lethal for Ireland......
Mark Boyle comments ...
@ Thom - yeah sorry for the confusion, I didn't mean in terms of voting, I meant in terms of lapping it all up. The levels of consumption of pretty much everything sky-rocketed since 1992 until about 2008. To slightly alter what George Car...lin once said. "the bankers and politicians don't come through a membrane from another reality, they come from Irish homes, Irish schools, Irish parents, Irish businesses...". The government made up the game, the people decided to play. I'm not condoning the government or the banks, in fact the opposite, I just think those that are so outraged need to check what their role was in it all. Thanks Thom.
Thom Browne comments ...
WELL did not vote for them, but beside the point, the celtic tiger did not happen for at least 33%, it was a myth that they politicians swallowed, case of believing their own spin, i worked at different ends of Ireland so saw at first hand this mythology been believed by some, do you vote??,
Becca comments ...
All banks have been hiding figures and misleading the public & ill-informed politicians, across the world. Ireland is up against the wall now (mainly) because of the size of credit-based growth - which means when recession hits more of the ...banks' assets go toxic and become liabilities.
We all have responsibility for the current crisis, because we have all participated in the system that allowed it to happen.
In the UK, politicians who de-regulated the banks and allowed them to pretend they were making money by lending to each other and betting on imaginary prices, were elected & re-elected by the public - as they were everywhere else. Ignorance is no excuse, either on our part or that of the politicians ... the directors of a company or trustees of a charity are responsible for the finances of that corporate body; and our elected executive is equally responsible for the state of our corporate nation.
If the Hong Kong model had been seen as an anomaly as opposed to the beacon for a capitalist model, then we simply would not be in this situation ... however, the west's 'quality of life' (read: amount of STUFF we own) would be poorer without that model.
You ask the average bod on the street if they would prefer stability with less stuff or risk with more stuff, and sadly I think most people would choose 'stuff' over stability. ... However bad the recession gets, until we get a total collapse, most people will still have more crap than if we had a stable, sustainable model.
Total tollapse would be mighty painful, but you have to wonder if revolution is needed ... given that economic evolution over the last 20 years (since we 'won' the cold war) has been going in the wrong direction!
Thom Browne comments ...
Here in Ireland we have endemic corruption that is not seen by outsiders, and because we have had it since the 30s the people do apathy big time, and no spirit of protest what so ever. In fact one brave soul flung paint at a particular incompetent politician and even those who did not go along with that party thought it was criminal and press made more of this incident than all the trickery and criminality of priests, bankers, and politicians, nobody has been prosecuted.......on and on ....
Becca comments ...
"no spirit of protest" = responsibility
There may be many, many reasons why people do not act or do not step up to their responsibilities: but that doesn't remove the responsibilities.
Thom Browne comments ...
Responsibility means protesting and taking the repercussions....and not just walking in a parade........?. Many reasons!! like being zombified by television and lazinesss, consuming and been afraid,believing in popular media sources, being quite and dying on the inside so thes are reasons for not protesting ?
luisa comments ...
Incredibly well written , with thought , compassion and intellect , Thank you
Gary comments ...
hi mark
What am i going to do about it?,thats a question i started asking my self two years ago.I took the red pill and there IS NO going back.The truth of this world is ugly,shocking and very scary.The internet has taught me a lot of things i didnt know and confirmed thingS ive instinctivley known for years,but thought it had to be in my head,but now i find its not just my head,there are tens of thousands of heads all thinking the same as me.
We are litarel,actual slaves.We are owned by the government and the banks and to the powers that be we are just a herd of mindless beasts without any rights to life or liberty unless its on there terms.
The simple answer is to take away there power by not useing money,its the only answer but its easier said than done.Im looking for answers,a way out.
Not just for me an individual,but anyone who wants freedom for future generations.It is not going to be given to us, we must take it,make it the way we the 90% want it.We need to inform the masses of the illusion of there freedom,make them see that participation in the monetary system makes us all complicit in the death and destruction that the plagues the world.
We need to create our own media,we need to somehow engage the ignorant people living in the darkness of murdoch run media.We need to show people that a cashless society is a possibility and not only possible but essential for human survival and the only way to eradicate starvation and war.
Ive seen enough dead bodies,enough of the suffering,and enough cruelty caused by the pursute of profit to convince me that the world is run by evil greedy people.There evil like our slavery is literal not metorphoric and it is our duty as people who know the truth to fight them.I will, i have to.To turn a blind eye would be condeming my children to slavery,how can i do that,so whatever my future brings,good or bad,my conscience will be clear.
Was it ghandi who said.
"if not you then who,if not now then when"
Great words to disspel procrastination.
gary
Mark Boyle comments ...
@ Thom - vote? Why would I waste my time voting? :)
@ Ilona - thank you.
Jordi Holland comments ...
Hi Mark,
I am just wondering what to do?
i feel so hopeless (if that's the right word).
Maybe we all need to save money, to buy a big piece of land.
Were we can show "them" how to live.
And we can stop the destroying of rainforests
driftwood comments ...
Im giving myself 12 months to be living money free.
Iwill spend the year learning all the skills i will need, and build and set myself up with the basics i will need, including land, accommadation and skill sets to offer in order to barter and flourish. if anyone else in the northamptonshire area want to join me its time to stop talking.
Mark Boyle comments ...
@ Gary - great to hear you've decided to say 'enough is enough', to take the red pill so to speak. Gandhi has volumes of fantastic quotes, but that one you mention is actually a rough translation from Hillel. A very powerful quote though.
@ Jordi - do whatever your intuition is telling you, and follow your impulse at each moment. There is no 'right' or 'wrong' answer. The approach you mention is vaguely similar to a strategy I'm working on, but what work bests will depend on regional, political, legal, cultural and social factors, amongst others.
@ driftwood - love the determined attitude, and love the limited transitional approach with a commitment to start doing it. One year is realistic enough, but be prepared for it to take longer. Huge respect to you.
Josh F comments ...
I would like the red pill please. It is quite challenging starting university whilst knowing that it is not the path I really wish to tread.
However, the effects of this current system do not dissapear if we give up money. People lacking sanitation, clean water, the ability to produce food, (the real victims of money) need sustainable long term help, how can we attempt to deal with the mess caused by money/ the west whilst living in a community requiring a massive time investment?
It is all well to say, i'm not contributing to the mess so its not my responsibility. But i don't think thats a particularly pleasant gesture. the effects of the system we have grown up in will still be there if we decide to go moneyless. What would have a more positive effect on the planet: removing our contribution to the problem or keeping a foot in it (flights/an education in development) and actively tackling the issues?
I ask only because as a first year civil engineering student i am currently very torn over this issue. Although I plan to live out the remainder of my course in a yurt on a surrounding plot of land growing most of my diet I remain torn between the completion of my course in order to spend my time working in aid or looking inwardly developing a way of life true to myself.
I would be very much interested in your opinion.
Ruth comments ...
I would love to have the red pill, but I am going to have to take it in small pieces but I will take it and 'be the change I want to see'. You are an inspiration and your book is great. I have also just finished reading Ishmael. Both books and your blog are essential reading for anyone who wants to change their way of living.
theborrowers comments ...
Maybe I’m in the minority, and most of the justforthelovofit’s members are young with no responsibilities except themselves?
Very thought provoking as ever But:
Now I am suffering from low morale instead of feeling like the fighter I usually am.
Bearing in mind how long it took you Mark, to think and prepare for your current way of life, can you even imagine how much longer it would have taken if there wasn’t just you to think of?
If you have kids everything takes and un-imaginable amount of time longer. Especially if you actually educate and look after your own kids, instead of leaving the important task to other people for whatever reason.
We can’t all just pick a date and choose to stop living our life as we know it, much as we may want to. As for supermarkets, I am one who remembers when there weren’t any. As for banks I am one who remembers when it wasn’t almost compulsory to have a bank account. However, since it took time to get into all this, it will take us time to get out. The more people you have in your life the longer it will take to put in motion any change.
Many of us like it or not cannot just stop shopping in the major supermarkets overnight, or close our bank accounts. Even if there was a local shop available for us to use, many of us would not be able to afford to shop there, even taking into account petrol/diesel to the supermarket and shopping less frequently it would cost so much more it could bankrupt people very quickly. Which is not the best way to go into moneyless living. Not to mention the fact that the local shops are not big on organics.
So the only alternative in this; to grow our own food and be self reliant. Great (I wish) but virtually impossible for some of us without years of planning and working towards that goal gradually. Like it or not we are all involved in this system even if it is only by association, through chain reaction, as every action has a reaction. If we were not, then we would only have friends who were like ourselves in every thought.
So we have to accept at least for now that connection by association is not wholly bad or wrong and that there is no perfect world. And maybe in this case to tear down the system will take a lot longer than it did to build it. As for anger yes but anger is a negative emotion and not always the best way to approach things long term. Your latest blog for me was more depressing than anything, I think we need to be more positive in order to reach a common goal, and instil optimism and hope rather than anger or sadness.
At the end of the day we are (mostly) human and therefore falible, hypocritical and sometimes discriminative. I don’t see these as bad things, we need to learn in order to move forward, we need sadness to appreciate happiness, infinitum. So I would love to say ‘not in my name’ right now, but unless you can tailor my and my family’s life to what you consider acceptable tomorrow, next week, next month or even next year, then we will just have to keep moving at our current pace towards a better way, frustrating ! Especially for one so impetuous.
Frances Wiseman comments ...
I think consumption can be a good thing. Many new businesses focusing on local, fair trade, sustainable products and services need investment so that change can come about. Creation and invention will never stop and is the beauty of life. P...ulling out of such a system may actually hinder the progress that is being made by others. We can create a new system that is similar to what we have now, and which can benefit people globally. It essentially is not as dramatic and can be seen as more achievable by those in society who are in denial about outr cicrumstances. Comprendez?
Frances Wiseman comments ...
Essesntially what I'm saying is, we need to infiltrate the current system (which IS taking place as we speak) and change it, instead of abandoning the monetary system in total. I'm sure a blend of all these things will bring the change we are hoping for. 'Be the change you wish to see in the world' - Live it. :)
katie comments ...
oops probably ought to have posted the comment below here rather than on the facebook ; )
"Indigenous peoples all. The WE need to organise. To pool our resources to share." i love that comment (of franks), at the moment i'd like a bit of both pills (but mainly the freeconomy/gift economy one), and would love a future of all fre...economy.....with technology and the nhs too......it's a long term goal....but it's amazing what we can achieve short term.......
at the same time, i wouldn't like to dictate, i realise other people feel differently, and believe in their rights to choose too...
all i know is that i feel so much happier working for so called 'free', i love to, it means i'm doing to because i love to, not because i want the money for it. more than that, instinctively it feels great.
i also love having the electronics for computers, soundsystems, gigs, and other little luxuries etc, and know i'll have to wait longer for that one to become freeconomy....
i also know that to become freeconomy, money to buy the land is needed, possibly money to build the homes too, to buy solar power etc,
i liked what you said in sunrise about it being like buying self out of slavery.
its pretty tricky though, being someone who loves working for financially free, to gain that money ; ) but possible i guess, as you have shown ; )
community living trusts are also another possibility of doing so perhaps.....
i think welhealth have a good way of doing freeconomy while also having some private income - as you may already know they use the w.e.b. to set a standard income, with any extra going to the co-op.... having a family with young kids, it's particularly useful for example to have this bit of both.
i respet what is said about taking money out of the banks, but its so handy for me having it in the bank, direct debits pay my bills (til i can live somewhere without so many of them at least), i can shop online (cheaper, more organic variety and being housebound so much the past 10 years = very valuable). the co-operative bank isn't amazingly ethical, but.......better than hsbc...
i think its important questions and points you talk about.....worth considering...........
i'd love to win the lottery (tho don't really like entering it!) and buy lots of land to have as land in common for us indigenous peoples of this earth (as we all are ; ).... and live a freeconomy as possible........ in place of that, i guess we gotta do what we can, when we can...... and you, welhealth, freeman movement, freeconomy peoples etc etc etc etc are doing loads, cheers : )
comments ...
I like your views and what is happening in the world today is absolutly abhorrent.
I admire the way you have CHOOSEN to live.
'It is not what the bad people do but what the good people don't do that makes the difference.'
I wish I could take that leap of faith that you did but I am afraid, FEAR keeps me doing what i have been taught to do - TO CONSUME WITHOUT QUESTIONING WHY.
Mikey comments ...
I too work in retail and the consumer addicted culture leaves me with little faith in humanity. People think you're mad if you reject materialism and it's values, but I can't lay down and accept that all I'm expected to do is to earn money. I guess some people are content in a docile state of consciousness.
In answering your question of imagining something completely different, social engineer Jacques Frescoe advocates his social design of a resource based economy, where we do away with money. It's definitely worth looking up. Thanks for the very thought provoking post
Mikey comments ...
I too work in retail and the consumer addicted culture leaves me with little faith in humanity. People think you're mad if you reject materialism and it's values, but I can't lay down and accept that all I'm expected to do is to earn money. I guess some people are content in a docile state of consciousness.
In answering your question of imagining something completely different, social engineer Jacques Frescoe advocates his social design of a resource based economy, where we do away with money. It's definitely worth looking up. Thanks for the very thought provoking post
Denise Ferguson comments ...
Mark - I was searching through vegan blogs one night when I stumbled upon your blog and may I say how inspired I was reading your story! Thank you for living your life in a way that makes a difference. I cannot wait to read your book and discover more ways that I too can make important changes and help make this earth a better place for all.
Sincerely, Denise :)
Tom S comments ...
Great post Mark.
I'm taking the red pill thanks with a side helping of Derrrick Jensen. We can take this economy down and, if we don't, at the very least we'll go down trying..
Des Troy comments ...
We need to hasten the monopolization of the world. If one company owned everything, all the consumers would also be the employees of the company. Low wages wouldn't make any sense as the company wouldn't have any competition and needed to have wealthy consumers to thrive.
If one company owned everything, the profit motive would disappear as there would be nothing to take over or exploit. The goal of capitalism would be reached and there would be nothing left for it to achieve, so what does it do next?
It seems counter intuitive, but actually, it would produce the global consciousness that the world desperately needs.
nextstopjupiter comments ...
Let's turn the big banks into big bangs and peace will come!
Lobma comments ...
Mark. I'm looking forward to reading this present blog of yours. I've just signed in, and wanted to add an idea into the mix first.
I've read a lot and watched a lot recently on alternatives to the madness of continued global economic growth. There's a lot of good stuff out there. But faced with the enormous power of all of those who are not willing to give up their cosy lifestyles at any price. Isn't it time that all of us who want to see a world where monetarism isn't the dominant feature came together, at least under a loose and massive umbrella organisation! It doesn't have to be fixed, just a loose connection of cells that, like cells in living organisms, all pull together for the benefit of the whole body.
I can think of several other groups who, like Freeconomy, are seeking out alternatives systems and structures to exist. Like you, these other groups are non political and see the defunctness that is all around.
Here are links to several of them. I know there are many more out there. Maybe we could complie a lot of similar groups and contact one anogher?
http://www.theresourcebasedeconomy.com/
http://www.dark-mountain.net/
http://www.thezeitgeistmovement.com/
Best wishes
John
gary comments ...
hello mark
I i often wounder why people join sites like this.Then i realize that its becausre it so easy.Ive joined many sites that appear to be ready to take on the world ,but then i find that its all bluster and big words,adsense and info sites, nobody seems to care enough.fed up and going to bed.
gary
Patty Hart comments ...
You go Mark woohoo! Tell it like it is. Bluntly and loudly for all to hear and stop hiding their heads in the sand
comments ...
I have been sat with a group of people (not stupid people as well, history and economics students like u were) and we've been trying to understand this section-
'We're using over 85,000,000 barrels of oil EVERY DAY (2006/2007 figures). That's the equivalent of 22,000,000,000 (yes, 22 billion) slaves, working 40hrs a week, to maintain this fantasy society, this temporary illusion of a functioning economic model. The effects of this on our biosphere, our obesity levels (40% of school children in US are obese), the rate at which we conquer the few remaining natural ecosystems left etc. are simply staggering.'
You can't just throw buzz words at your point and hope it makes sense. What the fuck has obesity got to do with it (and i want directly correlating figure between the oil industry and obesity)? How is there a quantifiable link to slavery?
I've read some stuff about u and i've got to ask u whether or not u realise how patronising it is to be told 'God isn't a white male human'. I'm sure u have evidence for this if u've made the life change but it just sounds like rubbish unless u give us it. I agree that there has to be a change but you if u have evidence to back any of this up i would love to see it.
As for your final question. I'm not going to simplify the most important question asked of man into a glib little film reference. Assuming that everyone who doesn't believe in what u believe in is asleep is the same sort of arrogance that fueled the rise in western capitalism. It devalues ur point, which is unfortunate considering the lengths u have obviously gone to prove it.
comments ...
"I've read some stuff about u and i've got to ask u whether or not u realise how patronising it is to be told 'God isn't a white male human'. I'm sure u have evidence for this if u've made the life change but it just sounds like rubbish unless u give us it. I agree that there has to be a change but you if u have evidence to back any of this up i would love to see it."
Now please, someone tell me that this last comment is a joke?? Or was it sent from a young kid? Whoever wrote it has the intelligence and grammatical skills of a 5 year old. A 5 year old kid from the American bible belt?
Matt Thompson comments ...
Mark thanks for the no nonsense look at the messed up world we have all been a part in creating. Hard to believe all the problems caused by the search for more of such an mythical thing as money. I for one am going to take the red pill because I am sick of the world getting raped daily for my convenience. Fixing a system so screwed seems daunting but It has to happen now before it is too late.
betweenthelines comments ...
Thanks for the thought-provoking and challenging post, Mark. It is good to see that more and more people are waking up and realising that the red pill is the only one to swallow for sustainable satisfaction!
I also believe we live in a world of inter-connectivity and our choices and actions... and inaction all serve to weave the thread we see around us today.
A lot of people may ask "so what do I do now?" I'd suggest getting rid of everything in your possession (responsibly) that you don't regularly use, for starters. My life took on a radically different hue when I did this and stopped working for money.
There are many chords to the "matrix" we need to sever. Often these are the ones we don't want to believe are chords, but deep down we know they are. Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?
frantasia comments ...
@comments re comments post:
I believe everyone has a right to their opinion, whatever the level of English they have, or choose to express themselves in. I read this as someone writing in 'text-speak' type of English, which many use these days.
I found Mark's comment re God (not an old white male) quite amusing - he didn't give us any evidence for making such a definite statement.
@Mark
Ref God, I find it quite naive of you to make a statement like you did - I'm sure you realize it's not an original, yet it came across (TO ME) as if you thought it was.
Also, re Trying to Shag one's way to Virginity, which you mention in this post and have done previously - please make clear how participating in the money economy (which you do) is compatible with this statement.
I wish you well, Mark, and I believe you are and will be successful in your aspirations, but please acknowledge that money is the very means by which you wish to achieve your goals.
Your publishers, on their website, make it quite clear that books can be ordered if paid for first, and by that they mean money, they don't offer an alternative means of trading.
All good wishes.
Mark Boyle comments ...
@ frantasia -
Proof - yeah I meet him/her/it everyday, sometimes he/she/it is a white male human, but 99.9% of the time he/she isn't.
Maybe lets turn this around - I'd love for you to give me proof that God is a white human male, as depicted in religious imagery everywhere? It seems a petty point, but the social repercussions of this imagery is massively underestimated.
By all means use money to build truly sustainable infrastructure for your future (where you'll no longer be reliant on this fictional tool) - land, a forest garden, an Earthship etc. You read my blogs regularly, so I think you know the point I was making. I meant green gadgetry and the like, maybe I should have been more explicit about that. I hope that clarifies.
I'm not sure your good wishes are genuine, but thank you if they are (or even if they're not). I hope all is great in your world.
Vania comments ...
I do agree with you but it is human nature to desire.I think you need then to propose something else and explain how you prosper and live without money so that more people can give up their miserable jobs.
frantasia comments ...
Mark, you wrote:
Maybe lets turn this around - I'd love for you to give me proof that God is a white human male
Why? I've never claimed God to be of any particular race or gender - I freely admit I don't know and have never suggested anything to the contrary. Neither have I claimed to know what God is not.
As for my good wishes, I know they're genuine, whether or not you believe in their sincerity, I extend them to you and all.
Penny comments ...
Sorry Mark, I have to disagree with you about voting.
Your sex has had the vote a very long time. For my sex to get the vote less than 100 years ago, women had to fight, go to prison, be forcefed and to die. When my mother was born women didn't have the right to vote - I'm the first generation of females in my family to have that right from birth. For me to not vote would be to dishonour the suffragettes what they gave up for me.
Sure politicians are frequently assoles, but IMO only about as frequently as other people. Gandhi was a member of the Indian National Congress, and Tony Benn was about as honest a man as you could have hoped to meet.
Is the issue that you can't vote unless you pay the (insidious) poll tax which therefore involves money?
Trish Young comments ...
" For my sex to get the vote less than 100 years ago, women had to fight, go to prison, be forcefed and to die."
A friend of mine raises the same point whenever there is an election and I say I am not going to vote.
So I've thought about it.
There was an inbalance at the time of the suffragettes, half or more of the population - women - were not able to vote . Which was crazy.
However their fight was very bravely won and the things worth standing up for now have changed. I think that to honour the spirit of those suffragettes by fighting oppressions which have not yet been overcome is far more to the point.
To feel obliged to take actions against one's own values just because of the bravery of others is surely against the spirit of what they achieved - is an oppression. It means I cannot act from my own conscience according to how I see the needs of our time.
To my mind it is more respectful to stand up and act in the most effective way for whatever is important at the time.
And if there is no politician that truly and uncompromisingly stands and acts for the values that the world needs now then surely the uncompromising spirit of suffragettes not honoured !
We need to become our own politicians, to take responsibility rather than hand it over to others who may have very different values and so are not acting on our behalf.
I quote the poet Rodney Chris Paradox who says he "reckons government of the people, by the people, for the people, is too important to be left to politicians. And too precious to be left to banking corporations. Looks like it's up to us. Gulp !"
!!
Sahari comments ...
You are a manifestation of a prayer I sent out into the cosmos... a call for the end of money as an equivalent.
My epiphany came the day I looked at a couple beginners Economics books and discovered the theory that rules this world is based on the notion of LACK. The big lie right in front of my face.
And so thank you for following your passion.
I am wondering if you plan on continuing to live money-free, or ease up a bit, or what?
May there be many following in your footsteps!
laurm777 comments ...
Good, So any of you live near me?! Saint-jerome / saint hippolyte , quebec canada?
steve comments ...
There's so much I could write about this topic because it touches so many areas.
I used to almost worship money and my career path was determined at least partly because of my desires for material gain.
The reality was though that I didn't always like what I did and at some human level I was uncomfortable.
I have always been a deep thinker and I have a fascination with the way humans think and behave and the way the world works.
The sub prime mortgage scandal provided the impetus to look harder at the roll of money and human behaviour.
As quite a strong systems thinker I can see how we have got ourselves into a bit of a mess.
Everyone has their part to play and it has much to do with structures. Structures which are self protecting and self repairing that actually don't serve humanity or the planet we inhabit or our co-species.
Whilst money at one time provided quite a neat way to exchange skills and resources it now takes centre stage for pretty much everything.
Money is not the only culprit though.
Humans and I mean all of us have an issue that either stops us seeing the truth or delays us seeing the truth.
This can apply to individuals but is probably at it's worse in institutions. I use the term institutions in the widest possible sense.
People see world through a series of filters. We tend to receive information in such a way that we filter out anything that we don't agree with.
If you believe the sun goes around the world then no amount of truth telling or logic will change your mind.
I would suspect that most people now believe the Earth goes round the sun but at the time of this revelation there was quite a big fight between the two camps.
The truth (the Earth goes round the Sun) was fought against because people believed that we (humans) were the centre of the universe and God told us that so it must be true.
Cognitive Dissonance gets in the way of truth telling because we can't hold two or more conflicting views or ideas in our mind.
When we couple that with our ego or identity we can start to see why our growth and evolution is slowed down.
So powerful is the need to see ourselves as good people we will justify almost every decision and position we hold.
This unfortunate state of affairs means we are all guilty and all innocent at the same time.
The fact is this, we don't need money to acquire the things we need to build a better world, home, car etc.
If people saw reality they/we would start to see all those jobs are not needed. They are a pointless consequence of a world which is measured by money.
We don't need a car for every person or every household, it's a ridiculous premise based on an outmoded system.
We don't need contract lawyers, we don't need sales people or marketers, we don't need regulators.
Seeing reality is incredibly hard to do as is being completely open minded.
Our whole life is made up by well meaning educators who teach us what they believe is reality. Ultimately, we believe the world and our happiness can only be achieved by consuming.
£Money... who needs it and what purpose does it really serve?
Regards
Steve
chrissy comments ...
Could not agree more, but it is not so easy for me and many others to just stop using money. I make the point of shopping locally where I can, and using local services and goods, but the system is pretty well set up.
Was quite interesting to see, we're sorting out ready to move house, that a payslip of mine from 10 years ago I am earning the same amount now, yet have more experience and qualifications than I did then and we have ofcourse more to pay ou on everything. Jus how did that happen? we are tricke on a daily basis into what can only be described as slavery. Slavery as I understand is when you have to work to survive and cannot walk away from a job which is causing you illhealth or unhappiness. We do not have the skills, or legal rights now to survive on the land, so are imprisoned within our own country, no longer any freedom to walk the earth as we choose.
Reckon if more people understood "the universe/earth wasn't created solely for our pleasure and God isn't a white male human," we may have a better earth.
So for now, I have to take the red and blue pills and work on reducing the blue as much as possible as I inrease the red! Not compromising, but working with what I am able to do physically. I am not able to just get up and walk away,
best wishes
Chrissy
Brian Delaney comments ...
Phenomenal article and scary too to see the big picture. Thanks to you and the few people like you that are gradually minds
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BattleLelia28 comments ...
This is understandable that cash can make people independent. But what to do when one doesn't have money? The one way only is to get the home loans or just short term loan.
